Even Elijah…
The courageous servant of God. The man that God fed with the ravens. The man that God used to raise the son of a widow from the dead. The prophet that went toe to toe with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah. The man that called down the consuming power of God to lap up the water and the doubts of the enemies of God. As an old man he had outrun the horses of Ahab in a 17-mile race to Jezreel. He had witnessed and participated in the overt work of God… yet, even Elijah got to a place in his life where he cried out to the Almighty, even while he stood in the center of God’s will.
“It’s enough,” he lamented.
He had seen the hand of God in subtle and gentle ways, and in blatant and extravagant circumstances… but he, the hand-picked prophet, got to the end of his rope. Even Elijah…
It’s easy to imagine that when we are squarely in the center of God’s will we will never doubt, never get discouraged, and never want to give up.
That might be true if a walk with God provided the entrance ramp to easy street; but it doesn’t. In fact, it may produce exactly the opposite. John 15 records the words of Jesus predicting hatred from the world for His followers. In John 16 Jesus once again announces the fact that we will have tribulation.
And with the overt and covert attacks, we will be tempted to sit under a broom tree (1 Kings 19:5) and give up. “ENOUGH! I’ve had all that I can take!”
We will want to retreat to a cave and we’ll be tempted to stay there (1 Kings 19:9); yet even there, the pursuing love of a faithful God extends to us. “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Even Elijah…
Are you feeling discouraged? You don’t doubt your call… just your resolve. You wonder if you can go one more week, or one more day, or one more hour. God seems silent, removed, distant.
Even Elijah…
Tell Him. Tell God. Tell Him what you’re feeling. Tell Him what it’s like to be you.
“And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.”
Then… listen for the whisper.
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