April 2, 2011 (2 Chronicles 17, I Kings 15-21)

Elijah was a  man that saw God do some incredible things.  Here are a few snippets of how he saw himself in his relationship with God:

“As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—...”
“I swear by the Lord Almighty, in whose presence I stand, ...”

And God proved Himself to Elijah in many miraculous ways:

Bringing ravens to feed him morning and evening
Allowing the flour and oil jars to always have just enough for another meal
Bringing the widow's son back to life
Destroying the sacrifice, even after it had been drenched in water
Running ahead of Ahab's chariot all the way back to Jezreel

And then, when wicked Jezebel said she would kill him, what does he do? Runs for his life. What happened to him? Was it isolation? He thought he was the only prophet of the Lord left. Was it because he was exhausted? Emotionally spent? Whatever it was, here were his words of discouragement:

^19:4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”

And then this is what happened:

 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” ⁶ He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.

 ⁷ Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”

 ⁸ So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. ⁹ There he came to a cave, where he spent the night.

   But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

And I love those words from God: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"  Just a simple question - What the heck are you doing? Examine your life and tell me, what are you doing?

And Elijah then states his case - how he zealously served God, and how he was the only one left.  And this is how God responded:

¹¹ “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

   And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

And when God asks the question again, he answers the exact same way as he did before.  And this time, God gives him a specific mission:

¹⁵ Then the Lord told him, “Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. ¹⁶ Then anoint Jehu son of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet. ¹⁷ Anyone who escapes from Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and those who escape Jehu will be killed by Elisha! ¹⁸ Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!”

I think of this story in relation to my own life. There are times when I am 'on fire' for God - where I see Him using me and seem filled with His strength. And then there are times when like Elijah, I am discouraged. But what was it with Elijah? Was it because he thought too highly of himself (I am the only one left, when in reality there were 7000 who had never bowed to Baal)? Was it because he needed rest (the angel came and fed him and he slept)? Or was it because he had stopped hearing God's voice? He had seen some pretty amazing things. But when he was threatened with his life, the Bible says he ran. He never consulted God about it. He never considered God's provision and care for him. He just listened to the voices around him and stopped listening to God. I think I know why. Because it's easier. It's much easier to seek the counsel of others instead of truly seeking God. But God is looking for those whose hearts are completely committed to Him. And I keep seeing myself as one who is trying to be one of those. Don't give up on me God.