A great victory – followed by a mad dash into the wilderness!
Elijah had just proved to the entire kingdom of Israel that the Lord was God. Finally, everyone was in agreement that there was no other God worthy of praise, glory, and honor. All of Israel acknowledged the God of Elijah.
1 Kings 18:38-39 “Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The Lord—he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!” (NLT)
And then… it rained like it had not done for several months. Elijah was over the moon.
Until…Jezebel sent him a threat – a threat that he could not ignore – so he fled. He ran off into the wilderness, finally stopping to rest under a broom tree. Elijah was spent – and afraid.
1 Kings 19:4b ‘“I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”’ (NLT)
I used to wonder what brought Elijah to this point until I became a ‘serious’ Christian, i.e. one who actually got to experience the odd spiritual victory here and there. Every time I would ‘slay’ a dragon, there would be a period of intense discouragement, fear or despair that would follow.
God saw what Elijah was going through, and out of love chose to lift him out of the pit of self-pity. Let’s look at three ways in which He did this below.
God sought Elijah out
Elijah felt lonely. He felt like he was the only one left who truly followed the Lord, even though Obadiah had told him that there were other prophets. Elijah also felt like his life was at stake because of his decision to follow the Lord wholeheartedly. So he ran.
Off he went into the wilderness until he came to a broom tree. I can imagine that Elijah had not seen a tree for a while, so when he came up to the broom tree, he was only too glad to rest in its shade. Elijah lay down to sleep, probably hoping that he would never wake up again. The Lord, however, had other plans. He sent an angel to wake Elijah up and feed him. Elijah ate to his fill and slept again, only for the angel to wake him up once more, reminding him to eat up in preparation for a long journey ahead.
God could have decided to be angry with Elijah. This prophet had suddenly forgotten all that the Lord had done through him, and how he had empowered him. Elijah, in a moment of fear, had forgotten how powerful the Lord was.
But out of His great mercy, the Lord sought Elijah out.
There have been many times when I do not remember what the Lord has done in and through me, and I choose to wallow in fear and self-pity. I tuck myself into the shade of the broom tree and try to sleep, hoping that when I wake up, things will be different. It is, however, comforting to know that the Lord always finds me under the broom tree and that He gently renews my strength and prepares me for the next leg of the journey.
The Lord searches us out and restores us even when we have forgotten all about Him and how powerful He is. He gently draws us out from under the broom tree and back into His loving arms.
God met Elijah’s needs
1 Kings 19:6 “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.”(NLT)
I can just imagine how Elijah felt as he ran through the wilderness – alone, forsaken, tired, hungry and fearful. What a combination of feelings those were! To make matters more depressing, his only comfort was a broom tree! How would you have handled that situation? Would you have cried out angrily to God? Would you have poured out your heart to Him?
Elijah sits under the broom tree and takes a nap. There is nothing else to do, after all, and nothing else to live for.
God is not done with Elijah yet, though. He mercifully meets his most urgent need – food. Elijah eats to his fill and decides to take another nap. This time it is a more rested nap because he no longer has to worry about his tummy
The angel wakes Elijah up a second time, this time instructing him to eat to his fill because a 40-day journey lies ahead. Elijah complies, and journeys to Mount Sinai, where he finds shelter in a cave. I guess at this point he must have slept soundly, as a cave is a much better sleeping spot than under a broom tree!
Then the Lord speaks to Elijah and asks him what he is doing in the cave. Elijah could have easily have answered, “Don’t you know what I am doing here? After all, you are God!” But instead, he responded…
I Kings 19:10 ‘Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”’ (NLT)
All Elijah needed at this point was for the Lord to be there for him, and to listen to him. He just needed someone to understand what he was going through. The Lord’s question prompted him to pour out his heart and express all his disappointments and frustrations.
How comforting it is when the Lord inclines His ear to our cry and actually listens to what we have to say. How encouraging it is when the Lord knows exactly what we need and provides it just in time! How comforting it is to know that He is there for us when we need Him.
God revealed Himself to Elijah
Now that Elijah is comfortably in the cave, the Lord decides that it is time to reveal Himself. Elijah gets to see displays of God’s power right before his eyes – a windstorm, an earthquake, and fire – but the Lord is not in any of these.
The Lord then comes to Elijah with a gentle whisper, a whisper that causes Elijah to cover his face and go out to hear from Him.
1 Kings 19:13 “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?” (NLT)
I find it interesting that the Lord only asked Elijah what he was doing there. He did not rebuke him for running away and for being afraid of Jezebel. God just quietly asked Elijah a simple question, to which the prophet responded with the same cry as that in verse 10. After Elijah responded, the Lord gave him further instructions. There was no rebuke, no put-down, and no reproach. God understood what Elijah needed, which was to hear the Lord’s voice and to be reassured that the Lord was still with him.
I’ll admit that it is often hard to hear the Lord’s voice, as the noise and activity around me put up a spirited fight against that gentle whisper. During the rough seasons, however, it is important to hear that quiet voice in my heart, as an encouragement to continue on the journey and not give up. I need to make sure I hear that gentle whisper as often as possible because the words that it speaks are words of life, hope, and salvation.
Friends, I know that many of us are going through what Elijah went through. We are lost in the wilderness, curled up under a broom tree, desperately trying to fall asleep so that we can forget all that is going on around us. We are hungry and tired, badly in need of some refreshment and rest. We are eagerly trying to hear what the Lord is saying, but the noise of the world is blocking it all out. Everything around us seems to be falling apart.
There is hope. The Lord will find out where you are hiding, and gently coax you out. He will meet your needs and speak words of comfort to your ears. Just as Elijah’s faith in the Lord was restored, your faith can be restored too. The Lord loves you too much to watch you waste away in the wilderness.
Psalm 34:15 “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry.” (NIV)
Hi, everyone! Thanks again for stopping by and getting your weekly dose of inspiration and encouragement. I hope that this week’s article has been a blessing to you and that you will be encouraged not to lose hope even when in the wilderness. Please share this article with your friends and family, and anyone else you know will benefit from it. Have a great week ahead!
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