Elijah had just come from a confrontation with the prophets
of Baal where he ended up killing all of them. (Chapter 18)
News of this reached queen Jezebel and she sent a messenger
to tell Elijah that she would also have him killed. Fearing for his life Elijah
decides to go into hiding. (v. 1-3)
What strikes me as strange here is that in spite of the fact
that God had just done several miracles through Elijah, he was still afraid of what Jezebel wanted to do to him. Its almost as if Elijah suddenly had short-term memory loss of God´s faithfulness and power in his life.
What about us? Can we still remember how God has worked
miracles and wonders in our own lives? Or has our own memory failed us? Has the wonder faded?
God is all-powerful and unchanging. He has delivered us in
the past and can, still and will deliver us from whatever we are going through now and what we will go through in the future. KEEP
REMEMBERING GOD AND HOW HE HAS DELIVERED US IN THE PAST SO WE DON´T FALL INTO
DESPAIR. (1 Samuel 17:37)
WHAT´S THE BEST AND EASIEST WAY TO REMEMBER? DECLARE WHAT
GOD HAS DONE. KEEP TELLING ABOUT HOW HE HAS BEEN FAITHFUL TO YOU TO OTHER
PEOPLE.
Another clear cause of desperation was because Elijah´s
focus has shifted. From a prophet focused on God (as shown in his own prayer in
Chapter 17:14, 21 and Chapter 18:36-37) to someone focused on himself (Chapter
19:4).
While it is true that Elijah´s situation was really
something to be really concerned and anxious about. Elijah was not equipped to
face that situation on his own strength. In the same way that he was not
equipped to cause the miracles that just happened in Chapters 17-18. In
contrast, let´s look at David in 1 Samuel 17: 26, 36, 45-46.
Anytime we try to do
things on our own, trusting on our own strengths and capabilities, eventually
we will fail. INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON OUR OWN STRENGTH LET´S FOCUS ON THE SOURCE
OF OUR STRENGTH SO THAT WE NEVER GET INTIMIDATED, FEARFUL OR ANXIOUS OF THE
SITUATIONS THAT COME OUR WAY.
While in hiding, Elijah falls into despair. At this time,
God sends an angel to take care of him.
Twice the angels came to feed him with cake and water. (v. 4-7) *
After the encounter with the angels, Elijah journeys on to
Mount Horeb where he comes face-to-face with God. In the first encounter God
asks Elijah “What are you doing here Elijah?” To this Elijah answers with his
list of complaints. (v. 8-10)
After this first encounter, God instructs Elijah to stand on
the mountain and wait for Him. While waiting for God Elijah encounters strong
wind, but God was not´s there. Then an
earthquake came and still God was not there. After the earthquake, a fire but still
God was not there. (v. 11-12) **
Finally, God comes to Elijah in the form of a gentle blowing
and again asks Elijah for the second time “What are you doing here, Elijah?”.
To which Elijah again replies with his same list of complaints. (v. 13-14)
It amazes me how similar Elijah´s and my own cries to
God are. In these passages it seems as if Elijah comes to God complaining that
in spite of his zealousness for Him, still he feels alone and persecuted. (v.
10,14). I shudder when I think of the many times I´ve come to God asking / complaining.
Ironically, as early as verse 6 we see that Elijah was never
alone. God sent His angels to feed him. In verse 9, 11 and 13 God speaks to
him. Yet he still feels alone and abandoned.
As I look at how God was showing Elijah that He was with him
it occurred to me that God was reminding him of His faithfulness and
power. Notice that God sent his angels
to feed him much in the same way that in Chapter 17 God provided for his needs
through the ravens, the brook and the widow.
God also reminds Elijah of how powerful he is by using
nature itself to demonstrate His power. Notice how as the Lord was passing by,
there was a great wind, then an earthquake and then a fire. Much in the same
way God demonstrated his power to Elijah using nature in Chapter 18:38, 44-45.
In the midst of the difficult circumstances of life that we
face God also sends us the same hints / reminders of his faithfulness and
power. We can find these by reading His word, the Bible, and by fellowshipping
with other Christians and seeing how God is currently working his wonders in
their life.
However, the moment we go incognito, start hiding, start
looking at our own strengths; the moment we stop remembering how faithful God
has been to us, stop spending time with Him by reading his word, stop
fellowshipping with other Christians, that´s when we slip and fall into
desperation.
