Happy New Year! I know that it is too early to tell how this year is going to go. These last two years have been pretty rough on everyone. In everything that has gone on in 2020 and 2021, did you ever get to the point where you just felt burned out or ready to give up?
That's what today's message is about. Through the end of October and into November we have been looking at the life of Elijah the prophet. Today we're going to look at a phase of his life as he learned that he could serve even when he was discouraged.
Prayer
I am not a golfer but this beginning story leads us into today's message. Back in May, 2016, 28-year-old Australian golfer Jason Day won the players championship tournament on the Stadium course in Florida. He was the first winner that led in every round in 16 years. His victory that day over the best golfers in the circuit established his number-one ranking in the golf world.
But once he got that number one spot, he began to flounder. He never won again in 2016, and not at all in 2017. In 2018, he said, “I got burned out being number one. It's easy to get burned out in a position that you're in the spotlight for. It can be demanding at times.”
His story sounds a lot like Elijah's story in 1 Kings 19. Elijah had just come off a spectacular victory against the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. But after this fantastic victory, Elijah stumbled into deep discouragement. It is how God met him in that moment that can inspire all of us that find ourselves burned out and ready to give up.
As we think about all we have gone through these past couple of years, I can't help but think of what the apostle Paul said in:
Philippians 3:13 – “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead.”
If you are discouraged in any way as you look back over the past 2 years, let's see if God can’t inspire us to serve Him even in our discouragement. Let’s get into our story.
Elijah had just won a great victory at Mount Carmel. Shortly after that Elijah led the slaughter of the 450 prophets of Baal to rid the land of the idols’ influence. Then he warned King Ahab to get ready for the rain God was about to send to end the three-and-a-half year drought.
As chapter 18 closes, God sent a downpour, validating Elijah's bold faith. On that day, Elijah could be considered to be the number one prophet. Elijah was at the pinnacle of his prophetic ministry. He was fearless against an overwhelming majority, even defying wicked King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. He was at the top of his game. But then Jezebel enters the picture once again.
1 Kings 19:1-5 – “Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods punish me and do so severely if I don’t make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow!”
3 Then Elijah became afraid and immediately ran for his life. When he came to Beer-Sheba that belonged to Judah, he left his servant there, 4 but he went on a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. He said, “I have had enough! Lord, take my life, for I’m no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree.
Suddenly, an angel touched him. The angel told him, “Get up and eat.”
Now after an all-time high, we find Elijah at a low point. Jezebel had made it known that she was seeking to take his life. It had been three and a half years of drought and hiding. The rain had stopped and restarted just as Elijah had prophesied.
Even though Elijah previously had won decisively over the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel, Baal worship wasn't gone, and Jezebel was still threatening his life. This wasn't the outcome that he expected. After traveling to the wilderness outside of Beer-Sheba, Elijah said, “I've had enough. Lord, take my life, for I’m no better than my ancestors.” Elijah was discouraged. But God had a bigger plan than Elijah could have imagined. God wasn't done with Elijah. God would meet Elijah at his lowest point to show him just that.
This should remind us that no one is invincible. Think of all that Elijah had experienced at this point in his life. He had withstood opposition, rejection, and danger. He had prophesied God's truth to a people who had fallen away. He had left home and relied on God for sustenance. But this news of Jezebel's threat to kill him sent this prophet of God into a tailspin of fear and despair. He took off, running for his life. Apparently, Israel's number one prophet was quitting his ministry. He leaves his servant at one point. Now alone in the wilderness, he plopped down under a broom tree for shade and prayed to die.
In our times of feeling discouraged and defeated I'm reminded what Moses said to the Israel in:
Deuteronomy 31:6 – “Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For the Lord your God is the one who will go with you; he will not leave you or abandon you.”
That verse reminds me of the story of Corrie ten Boom. She tells how her family's home became a refuge for Jews during the Holocaust to protect them from the Nazis. Someone betrayed Corrie and her family, and after being arrested by the Gestapo, she and her sister Betsy were sent to the notorious concentration camp Ravensbruck. There, the sisters endured inhumane living conditions and horrific brutality from their guards. Yet they held fast to their faith and encouraged others around them.
Betsy didn't survive the concentration camp. Sick and approaching death, she told Corrie, “We must tell people what we have learned here. We must tell them that there is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still. They will listen to us, Corrie, because we have been there.”
Betsy died on December 16th, 1944. Corrie was released from Ravensbruck 2 weeks later due to a clerical error. For the remainder of her life, Corrie wrote books and traveled the world speaking of her experiences. Her message was the message of hope that her sister Betsy said they must share: God is with us even in the darkest place imaginable.
Can we still serve God even when we are discouraged? Yes, we can! In fact, serving God during our discouraging times can actually help to lift our spirits.
Our story continues in:
1 Kings 19: 11 – 13 – “Then he said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the Lord’s presence.” At that moment, the Lord passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.”
“And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
Suddenly, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
God sees Elijah's discouragement and he gives him some instructions. In a cave on Mount Horeb, God met Elijah and spoke. Elijah needed to hear from God in that moment. He had been used to seeing God show up in big, dramatic ways. But on this occasion, Elijah wouldn't hear God as expected in the mighty wind or feel God move in the earthquake. Nor would he sense God's presence in the fire.
Notice that God spoke to Elijah in a mere whisper. God calmly and effectively let the discouraged profit know that he was present. Did you know that if you want an audience to tune and listen closely, you whisper?
I think that most of the time we get discouraged and fed up with what's going on in our lives and we shout out to God in prayer and we want to see God move in a mighty way. But we're reminded here that sometimes God speaks to us in that still, small voice.
When God whispered to Elijah and asked why he was there, the prophet responded with this long list of everything that was wrong in the world and in his life. Don't we do the same thing? God, my car broke down and as soon as I got it fixed all my tires went flat then I got those fixed and then my battery went dead. Or, I went out to simply mow the grass and my tire was flat on the lawn mower so I got the compressor to air the tire and then the compressor wouldn't work. You know the feeling. You work on 15 different things to accomplish the one thing that you set out to do in the beginning.
That's kind of the way Elijah felt at this point. He had done so much for God and was obedient to God in every way possible. And now he was a fugitive running for his life. I'm sure he was thinking “where is God now?”
1 Kings 19:15-18 – “Then the Lord said to him, “Go and return by the way you came to the Wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, you are to anoint Hazael as king over Aram. 16 You are to anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. 17 Then Jehu will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Jehu. 18 But I will leave seven thousand in Israel—every knee that has not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
Elijah may have thought he was finished, but that was not God's view. You are never too old, too tired, or too discouraged for God to use you. In that lonely place where Elijah found himself at the deepest point of discouragement, God whispered a message to the prophet: “I'm not done with you yet.”
When Elijah was ready to quit, God reminded him that his purpose was not over. He instructed Elijah to do three things. Elijah was to anoint Hazael king over Aram. Elijah was to anoint Jehu king over Israel. Finally, Elijah was to anoint Elisha as his own replacement. If you look closely at that, you will see that God was intentionally working out His purposes by placing in leadership those who would carry out His plans.
Maybe God has put you at your place in your life right now because He intends to use you and your situation to carry out His future plans. If you're facing discouragement today, share that with God openly. Trust him to receive you as your loving father. Whether you have accomplished a lot, or feel that you have failed a lot, God is not done with you. Trust that God has a plan for your life. Maybe one of our greatest acts of worship is obeying God in the midst of our pain and discouragement.
God never promised us that life would be easy and free of trials. Sometimes we will become discouraged, but God has promised that He will never leave us. He is with us through all of life circumstances, both the good and the bad. It is God who will give us the strength to endure the difficulties that we encounter. He will equip us with the power and the means to accomplish what He has called us to do. When we are weak and serving God, he is strong in serving us.
Life had not turned out as Elijah expected, but God was still very much in control. He was working out His greater plan with Elijah playing the vital role God had designed him to play. So there’s our story for today.
As we enter into this New Year, we need to commit ourselves to pursue a steadfast faith no matter what situation we are in. I know that is not easy sometimes but it becomes a lot easier when we realize that God is with us and behind us all the way.
I say it again, God challenges all of us today to make a commitment to stay faithful to him no matter what situation we are in. I close with this true story to prove my point.
Chris Hill Scott was one of the three co-founders of a company called Swiftkey. They make autocorrect keyboard software. In millions of smartphones, the SwiftKey app and software predict what the user intends to type and corrects their mistakes based upon machine learning. Chris started the company in 2008, along with friends, Jon Reynolds and Ben Medlock.
But Chris became discouraged with the long hours, low pay, and ongoing pressure of working in a startup company. After the second month, he quit, trading in his shares for a bicycle. He might have persevered through his discouragement if he had known the outcome of sticking with it.
Swiftkey’s popularity didn't grow until Microsoft bought it in 2016 for $250 million. Jon and Ben became instant multi-millionaires, while Chris ended up with… a bicycle.
What's true in the secular world is far truer in the spiritual realm. We'll never know what's on the other side of our temporary discouraging situation if we don't keep on investing in what has eternal value. Serving God through the long haul brings its rewards, both for the servant and for those impacted by that servant's life.
Again, you never know why God is putting you through the things you are going through until sometimes years down the road. One day, you will look back and realize how God used your situation right now to affect someone else's life in the future. I say it again: Maybe one of our greatest acts of worship is obeying God in the midst of our pain and discouragement.
When you become a child of God, God will put into motion a plan that He has for you. If you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, we invite you to come as we stand and as we pray.
