Dealing With Discouragement

Introduction

1 Kings 19:1–4 KJV 1900

1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. 3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

We’ll stop reading right there for the sake of time, it shows you at least where I’m going this morning. I want to take several verses from chapter 18 and 19 today and speak on the subject of “Dealing With Discouragement” for a little while.

Most of us are not strangers to discouragement. Most of us have known times when our discouragement actually turned into despair.

“The main trouble with despair is that it is self-fulfilling. People who fear the worst tend to invite it.”

Elijah, one of God’s choice prophets, went through a period of discouragement, despair, and depression. And there is so much we can learn from him.

I-The Causes of Discouragement

A. Emotional stress

In the previous chapter, Elijah had just been through incredible confrontation on Mount Carmel where he challenged the prophets of Baal to a showdown to prove which God was real. The prophets of Baal called on their god to light a fire on their altar, but nothing happened. Then Elijah built an altar with twelve stones and called on the Lord to send down fire, and the Lord answered by sending down fire from heaven, consuming the offering and even drying up the water that had been poured out around it.

After this, the 450 prophets of Baal were executed for their apostasy, and this ain’t the message so I’m going to say it and move on, but Heavy…HEAVY will be the judgment upon preachers who don’t preach the truth of the Gospel!

What a victory! No doubt, there was some emotional stress involved! But Elijah was facing continuing problems as we see at the beginning of chapter 19.

B. Significant achievement

Discouragement often comes after a triumph.

C. Personal opposition

Jezebel had made threats, and Elijah was actually in danger! This situation was nothing to laugh at!

1 Kings 19:2 KJV 1900

2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.

D. Basic fear

We already mentioned opposition and threat that Jezebel had given Elijah in verse 2, and I don’t know about ya’ll, but I’d be afraid too! Elijah was afraid of what Jezebel could/would do to him, and ya’ll, fear is a powerful emotion and that emotion is usually negative!

A. B. Simpson writes, “Fear is born of Satan, and if we would only take time to think a moment, we would see that everything Satan says is founded upon a falsehood.”

Fear is a force, a spirit that has the power to manipulate your mind!

Fear is based upon something we don’t know, but a sound mind provides us with truth we can and do know!

E. Physical exhaustion

He had run from before Jezebel

1 Kings 19:3 KJV 1900

3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.

This would have been around 120 miles away! And in the next verse, we find he had actually gone even further...

1 Kings 19:4 (KJV 1900)

4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness...

This would have been another 15-20 miles into the desert! No doubt Elijah is physically exhausted by now!

F. Simplistic thinking

I’m not a betting man, but if I were, I’d bet Elijah thought that a victory would cure everything…but for the believer the battle never ends.

Yesterday’s victory doesn’t guarantee today’s success.

When we think this way, we are vulnerable to despair’s cousin, disillusionment...

G. Heavy responsibility

1 Kings 19:10 KJV 1900

10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

The situation was clouded by his own misperception. He saw himself as incredibly responsible. Like he was carrying the weight of the whole world on his back...

Emotional stress, significant achievement, personal opposition, basic fear, physical exhaustion, simplistic thinking, and heavy responsibility…Elijah had all the ingredients necessary for a good case of discouragement!

2-The Process of Discouragement

A. Flight—he had run away from the trial.

B. Negative thinking—his words drip with negativity each time he speaks:

1 Kings 19:4 (KJV 1900)

4 ...he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

1 Kings 19:10 (KJV 1900)

10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

C. Withdrawal—he withdrew from men and actually appears to be withdrawing from God:

1 Kings 19:3 (KJV 1900)

3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, ...and left his servant there.

1 Kings 19:4 (KJV 1900)

4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree...

1 Kings 19:9 (KJV 1900)

9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there...

Depression feeds on loneliness. Elijah has been alone through much of his ordeal.

D. Blame shifting—he laid the blame on the children of Israel and saw his problem as that of someone else

1 Kings 19:10 (KJV 1900)

10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword...

He compares himself to the children of Israel, and instead of repenting and asking for grace, Elijah turns to the comparison game to make himself superior. That’s what self-righteous people do. They compare themselves to other people, so they feel better about themselves! God help us!

E. Improper comparisons— In verse 4, he says, “…for I am not better than my fathers.” - Apparently, Elijah had come to believe that he was something special. After all, hadn’t God used him in a great way? Hadn’t he trusted God and seen the impossible done time and again? Yes he had, but he was no better than anyone else.

3-The Results of Discouragement

A. Personal isolation—through all of this, Elijah is alone.

B. Loss of perspective (v. 10)—“…I, even I only, am left...”—he was not! Verse 18 proves it, God had 7,000 men left who were on His side…God had it all taken care of, but Elijah had lost that perspective!

C. Self-pity—“Self-pity is a narcotic that leaves its addicts wasted and derelict”

D. Suicidal tendencies (v. 4)— He literally prayed to God that God would take his life from him…I don’t know about ya’ll, but I, for one, am glad God doesn’t always give us what we want, because when we are discouraged and depressed, we can pray some pretty dumb prayers…After all, Elijah really didn’t want to die, he just thought about it (if he had wanted to die, he could have stayed were he was, and Jezebel would have taken care of it for him!

4-The Cure for Discouragement

How did God minister to His depressed servant? He ministered to him with patient grace and tender compassion.

A. Get up—this was only after rest was granted—“Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap” Just so y’all know, I got that from Ms. Nicole this past week…I told her it would show up in a message.

1 Kings 19:5–7 KJV 1900

5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. 6 And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. 7 And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.

God’s first response to Elijah wasn’t rebuke. It was “eat.” How encouraging is it that God feeds His runaway prophet instead of actually answering Elijah’s prayer for death?

Instead of death God gave him cake. Oh, the tenderness of God here! He will rebuke him later, but first we find gentleness and care.

B. Look up—God came and spoke to him and gave him a message of hope

1 Kings 19:11–13 KJV 1900

11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: 12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. 13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

God said:

Look at the wind - Elijah, it’s not what you feel!

Look at the Earthquake - Elijah, it’s not in what you fear!

Look at the Fire - Elijah, it’s not in what you see!

Look at the Voice - Elijah, it’s in what you hear!

Elijah was used to the remarkable. He was used to the astounding! After all, who else was fed by ravens? Who else saw God feed three people with a barrel and a jug of oil that never ran out? Who else had seen God raise someone from the dead? Who else had rebuked a king and lived? Who else had defied 450 Baal prophets, prayed fire down from Heaven and then killed the prophets?

Elijah is used to the spectacular! But God is trying to tell him something…When

C. Shape up—God came to Elijah with a message of hope, but also confrontation…He comes to Elijah in a still, small voice in verse 13, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Here, the voice of the Lord quietly whispers and brings conviction. The Holy Spirit continues to quietly speak to the Christian today, especially when he or she is out of position. He is asking, “What are you doing here?” Is the Holy Spirit speaking to you about your life or are you going so fast and making so much noise that you cannot hear Him?”

D. Link up—God gave him Elisha to strengthen him:

1 Kings 19:16 (KJV 1900)

16 ...Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.

Then we find,

1 Kings 19:19 (KJV 1900)

19 So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.

E. Gird up—God gave him a job to do:

1 Kings 19:15–16 KJV 1900

15 And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: 16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.

It’s practical ya’ll…When you get discouraged, even though you won’t want to, you need to get busy…find something to do! It is easier to do your way into feeling than it is to feel your way into doing.

Conclusion

“Despair is not handled by giving in. It’s handled best by giving out something of yourself to other. By giving out, a person has no time for despair, so it departs.”

The Lord’s ministry in Elijah’s life has delivered him from the brink of death and of shipwreck. Some of you need that ministry today. You are on the verge of quitting on the Lord. You are discouraged and defeated. Others have wandered off into sin and are living lives that are no pleasing to the Lord. Some of you may not even be saved and you know that if you were to die in your condition, you would go to Hell!

Regardless of where you are today, you don’t want that! Neither does the Lord! I wonder if He is speaking to your heart this morning?