Even the holiest and mightyest of God get fed up. Elijah should have been doing the Happy dance. He had just watched God defeat the Baal preists and prophets, He saw the Lord end a three year drought after he prayed earnestly for it to end. He outran a charriot to Jezreel–Not bad for a Monday! Still, Jezabeel swore to kill Elijah that day–and as Elijah knew, Jes=zabell usually Got what she wanted! So Elijah took off. He ran away and hid. What’s more, He told God “I am done!” take me home. God watched his prophet experience the anguish and fear, and set about to help his dear one.
First things first–God had an angel feed Elijah and guard his rest. Elijah was awakened two times to a freshly cooked meal. It said that strengthened him. Then Elijah traveled a long way away to Horeb. There again he told the Lord, I am done. Take me home! That is when God asked Elijah an all penetrating question, “Elijah, What are you doing here?” In effect, God was not asking for an accounting of his trip, He was asking what circumstances brought him to a place of personal devestation that made death the best option.
Elijah’s reply,
“I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
The reality was that if Elijah really wanted to die, he could have remained where he was–Jezabeel would have accomodated Elijah gladly. But, Elijah simply felt alone; fighting for a God no one else wanted. He knew God was great–He just proved that; but, the victory left Elijah with a priceon his head and Elijah was sick of running. So, when God asked Elijah what are you doing here, God wanted His prophet to take a good look at himself and at the God he served.
In our lives, we often find ourselves similarly situated. We push to serve the Lord, but still find life hard and difficult to manage. It can be depressing, and hopelessness can creep in. So God, in love, reaches out and asks us, “What are you doing here?” He has clearly established His authority, but life has born down on us, and has worn us out–and being gone seems kind of attractive. Take heart–God’s closest and finest have been there as well. Elijah, Moses, David, Paul all had moments that they wondered “What’s the point?”
The point is that we are part of plan, and as God’s chosen, we live a life of purpose. We can never ubderestimate the impact we can have if we will remain faithful and follow God closely. Just realize that, as we do, the enemy will be out to nuetralize, or at least minimize our impact. We can never give up, nor, can we ever give in–just know the battle is real. God does love us and is faithful to meet our needs. Just seek His hand to protect and fulfill us.
God Bless You
Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”
3 Elijah was afraid[a] and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.
The Lord Appears to Elijah
And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks 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 came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
Walking With God 