"And he prayed that he might die and said, 'It is enough! Now Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.' V4 1 Kings 19:1-18 NKJV
Elijah had just had a major victory over 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. But often, after such exciting feats, we can often suffer bouts of fear, doubt and depression. The adrenaline has worn off and we are left alone with our thoughts. This is what happened to Elijah. The threats of death from Jezebel totally terrified him and he ran and ran, getting as far away from her as possible. The thing is, as far away as he could be, he couldn't leave his fear behind. It was still rampant.
Elijah was a great man but human just like us. He was subject to fear and depression but instead of facing it, he chose to run away, went into his own little shell and isolated himself. Does this remind you of someone? Fear had overtaken his faith and he went into the world of self-pity, asking God to end his life v4. He didn't mean this however, it was just the way he felt at the time. We too, can often say similar things when we are going through a bad time. Thank goodness, God doesn't act on this!
The Lord had Elijah rest, exercise and eat sensibly which is one of the best cures for times such as these. After a good old grumble to God about things, and he had rested, God told him that it was time to return to work v15. Even though he had been in such a bad shape, he was still God's man and he had work to do.
And so do you! You may have been going through a difficult time lately. You may have fell to rock bottom; but wherever you are at this moment, God is there too. At the time of this crisis in Elijah's life, he took his eyes off the Lord and put them on to Jezebel and this is where the fear came in. Whatever you are going through at this moment, God is greater; and what's more, He wants to show you how great He is if you will only allow Him to. You have done nothing wrong, life events have just worn you out, that is all. It happens. Focus on God, do what He says and then, get back into the race for that prize. You can do this
Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.
Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
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