Lessons From Elijah (1 Kings 19)

 

Photo by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash

“Yahweh, he is God! Yahweh, he is God!”

Elijah had just come off of the high point of his life. The epic showdown with the prophets of Baal had come to an end, God had shown his power through Elijah. The land was cleansed, the false prophets of Baal (all 850 of them) had been killed, and rain had finally come after years of drought. In a show of God’s power working through him, Elijah had outrun King Ahab’s chariot down the mountain and to Jezreel.

But the Queen wasn’t happy about all of this. This was her false god who had been defeated so magnificently. She vowed to end the life of Elijah.

So Elijah ran. He went way out to a wilderness town, and then even farther into the wilderness itself. After such a moment of victory, he was afraid.

And he was exhausted. He had given his all, and he was at the end of his strength. He could not go farther. His physical exhaustion opened up the path for the fear to creep in. He was an emotional mess. From this place of exhaustion and fear, he cried out: “It is enough now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers” (1 Kings 19:4).

This is where Yahweh met him. God came to Elijah where he was at. He did not rebuke him for his fear, or his exhaustion. He provided for him, he cared for him. The angel of the LORD brought him food and water and gave him rest. “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you” (1 Kings 19:7).

God wasn’t done with his servant. The food that he provided gave Elijah strength for another 40 day journey out to the mountain of God. Here, Elijah found himself in a cave.

And God met him there. Hiding in a cave, in the middle of the wilderness.

“What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Elijah’s response was perhaps breathless as he tried to explain why he was here, not back in Israel. “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with sword, and I, even only I am left, and they seek my life, to take it away” (1 Kings 19:10). Don’t I have a right to be here? Don’t I have every reason to be afraid? They want to take my life, after all I’ve done for your name, God!

“Go, stand in the mouth of the cave.”

As Elijah stood there, a great wind shook the mountain.

Yahweh?

No, Yahweh was not in the wind.

A great earthquake rocked the mountain.

Yahweh?

No, Yahweh was not in the earthquake.

A fire!

Yahweh?

No, Yahweh was not in the fire.

And then…

A quiet, gentle whisper.

Elijah wrapped his face in his cloak, a renewed fear for the presence of Yahweh filling him.

Gently, God asked again: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Not a rebuke, not a reprimand. A gentle prodding, meeting his servant where he was at, gently guiding him.

Elijah gives the exact same response, verbatim, as before. Yet we have to wonder what he would have sounded like at this point. I tend to think he whispered, broken, at the end of himself, crying out for God to carry him through this most difficult point in his life.

God doesn’t rebuke him for his fear and his exhaustion. He provides, again, for Elijah in the midst of his brokenness. He tells him what will take place next in his great plan: Hazael will be king of Syria. Jehu will be king of Israel.

And he gives him a helper. “And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet I your place…yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:16, 18).

I hope this is a comfort to you. Whatever spiritual battle you are facing right now, if you feel you are at the end of yourself, take heart. God is there when we have come to the end of ourselves. When your strength runs out, God will give you more strength to go on. When you are afraid, he will meet you where you are at and will calm your fears. God will give you help when you cannot go on alone.

The Bible tells us over and over not to be afraid. But it isn’t something that we have to just buckle up and do ourselves. The Psalmist says: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you” (Psalm 56:3). When we are exhausted and afraid, God will show us once again why he is the one who can be trusted.

Be encouraged today. I don’t know what you are going through that has you feeling weak and discouraged, maybe even afraid. But know that God is there, he walks beside you. He meets you where you are at. He encourages and strengthens you for the journey of faith that he has set before you.

Will you trust him?