LORD, WHAT IS MAN? (1)

The man who just won many battles for God feared for his life and ran away from the evil queen Jezebel. Elijah was afraid when he heard the message Jezebel sent via her messenger. Here was the man who had stood up to thousands, many with weapons, on Mount Carmel, and now he ran from this deranged queen. He ran to the wilderness and here he requested for himself that he might die” (v. 4b). Is this not ironic? He was fleeing for his life so that he would not be killed by Jezebel, yet now he was saying, “I wish I were dead.” He continued, “And said, ‘It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers [my predecessors, God’s spokesmen who came before me]” Apparently, he thought he would be “better than his fathers.” He thought he could do what they had not done: turn Israel back to the true God. It had not happened, so he said, “I’m turning in my prophet’s badge. I am ready to die.”

Here we have a classic case of discouragement: a man who is down, a man who thinks that his situation is hopeless, a man who feels trapped by circumstances. Chances are, all of us have been there at least once in our lives. Just how did Elijah end up under the juniper tree? First, he was guided by human reason, not divine revelation. He got off track regarding his relationship with the Lord. Up to this point, he had waited until “the word of the Lord” came to him before he took the next step, but not this time. He began to rely on his own judgment rather than God’s will. When we look at life with human eyes, we are looking through the wrong end of the telescope. Our perspective gets messed up. Second, as a result, Elijah could not think clearly; his thinking processes were short-circuited. If he had been thinking clearly, he would have reasoned that if he could defeat the thousands on Mount Carmel with God’s help, he surely did not have to be afraid of one woman. Instead, negative thoughts filled his mind; they began to whirl though his head.

Third, he gave in to fear. When we give in to fear. Fourth, he was unprepared for the letdown that can come after victory. Every coach knows about that letdown. Victory makes us vulnerable. Fifth, he cut himself off from his sources of strength. He cut himself off from God; he had not waited for the word of God. He cut himself off from men; for whatever reason, he had said good-by to his servant. Elijah has been called “the loneliest man alive.” Depressed people are often lonely. The strange thing is that, even though they are lonely, invariably they have cut themselves off from others. “I don’t want to see anyone. I don’t want to be around people.” It gets to be a vicious circle. God made us so that we need others. “It is not good for . . . man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). Even Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, wanted His disciples to “keep watch” with Him (Matthew 26:40). Elijah had cut himself off from his support system.

Sixth, he let himself get overly tired. He apparently had not eaten for several days. He had run for miles. He was exhausted physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The Greeks had a saying: “If a bow is kept bent, it will break.” Elijah broke. This is a major problem today. We tend to schedule activities for 25 hours in every day, 32 days in every month. We find ourselves in the fast lane on the highway of life, with no exits, going faster and faster. If we are not careful, we can end up totally exhausted, our minds doing emotional cartwheels, with a severe case of the blues. Here is a bit of related advice: Never make an important decision when you are overly tired. Elijah was too tired to make a wise decision as to whether or not he could face Jezebel! Seventh, he gave in to self-pity. “I’ve tried so hard,” he said, “but I haven’t accomplished anything. I’m no good!” Some think that attitude reflects humility, but it does not. It indicates the opposite. It is a subtle form of selfishness, thinking too much of self. Self-pity is a monster. It whispers lies in our ears, then begins to exaggerate, making everything seem worse than it is. Self-pity can even make an individual consider suicide. “It is enough now, O Lord,” Elijah said. “Take my life.” Do you see where Elijah is? Discouragement and depression came to this great man of God. It can happen to anyone. Moses wished that he were dead (Numbers 11:15), as did Job (Job 3:1ff.) and Jonah (Jonah 4:3). Even Paul despaired of his life (2 Corinthians 1:8). It can happen to anyone, be careful.

Word Affirmation: “ And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil." - Joel 2:24 (Don't just say it, mean it!)

“ Discouragement can happen to anyone, be careful. "

MIND THIS