What To Do When You Don't Know What To Do

1 Kings 19:3–18 NASB95

And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 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 my life, for I am not better than my fathers.” He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat.” Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.” So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God. Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking 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. After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Then he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” The Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram; and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. “It shall come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. “Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

INTRO: Have you ever felt completely lost? Perhaps you’ve been overwhelmed by life or maybe you just can’t seem to find your purpose or place?

ILL: I was listening to a news report several weeks ago that reported American teens to be the saddest in recent history. In fact, while 60% of teen girls reported prolonged unhappiness, a full 1/3 of teen girls today seriously contemplate suicide. The numbers for teen boys are not that much better. ( Teen Girls Report Record Levels of Sadness; New York Times - Feb 14, 2023)

There are large numbers of folks from all generations who are struggling to find their way. They’ve experienced disappointment, trauma, loss, etc. Perhaps worst of all, they don’t know where to turn or what to do. Maybe you can relate.

Interestingly, we find our prophet, Elijah in a similar situation in our passage today.

Let me remind you of the context: Elijah has been thrown for a loop.

The grand picture in Elijah’s mind was likely that King of Israel, Ahab and his wife Jezebel would be convinced that Yahweh was indeed the one true God.

After all, Ahab was the recipient of Elijah’s message of judgement (17:1) and it was he and his wife who were largely responsible for leading the nation of Israel to worship false gods. So, it seemed that the perfect ending to God’s judgment and mountaintop display of power would be that the people who led Israel into idolatry would see the truth and repent!

But, that did not happen. In fact, Jezebel was angered even more. Elijah was once again running for his life. (We can see this in the text above) Last time this happened, God told Elijah where to go- the Brook Cherith and He promised to direct the ravens to deliver meals twice a day.

But this time, it was different. God had not directed him where to go, nor was there a promise of provision as before. I believe it’s safe to say that this is definitely NOT what Elijah expected or hoped for.

So he ran. Fear had overtaken him. God had not given him a word. Nothing seemed to make sense. Elijah didn’t know what to do.

If this resonates with you this morning, I hope that you will lean in with me as we seek answers from God’s Word. If you picked up a bulletin, I encourage you to make use of the sermon guide to make notes along the way.

The message is entitled, “What to do when you don’t know what to do”. My prayer is show you how God meets us at our greatest point of need to bring victory. We will use Elijah’s scenario as a template for our instruction and encouragement.

Let us begin. The first segment we will address is:

What To Do When You Feel Dejected (4-8)

The truth of the matter was that Elijah was in absolute despair. Let me read verse 4 (READ)

This despair or dejection was 3-fold.

Emotional Dejection - Elijah felt like a failure. His hope was crushed. His expectation was not only unmet, but utterly destroyed.

I imagine that he felt worthless. He compared himself to the nameless prophets of previous generations who had attempted to make known God’s glory and likewise failed.

“It is enough… take my life” - Elijah was ready to give up. Emotionally, there was no motivation to go on living.

Spiritual Dejection - Elijah felt like God was disappointed in him. In fact, he may have even wondered if God was punishing him. Why have him go through all this if not to turn the king and nation back to God?

He may have thought things like, “God chose the wrong prophet… I let God down because of the outcome, etc.”

Physical Dejection - Elijah’s body was out of fuel. He was tired. If you remember, he ran from Jezreel to Beersheba, and then traveled another day’s journey into the wilderness. He had likely not slept or rested much at all.

Further, he was hungry. If you remember, while others grabbed a bite to eat at Mt. Carmel, Elijah went to pray for rain.

Any single one of these factors can be difficult to navigate. Elijah was dealing with all 3. And as he lay his head down under that juniper tree, I imagine he hoped that he would not have to wake up and face reality.

*Let me just ask you- can you relate to Elijah? Have you been to this point of despair?

Notice how God met Elijah at the very point of his greatest need. Let’s read v. 5-8 (READ)

Here, we see God bring immediate relief to Elijah’s physical despair. Food and drink. And if you look at v. 8, this must’ve been the ultimate super-food!

ILL: I know some of you here today can better deal with the stresses of life if you’re not hungry. But if you’re hungry, you are hangry and it’s just too much! So, as a side note- if you are in despair and you haven’t had lunch, please get a snack.

But with this provision, is the strength of the Lord and instruction. The angel of the Lord says, “eat because the journey is too great for you.” Elijah must’ve understood him, because he took off to Horeb, the mountain of God- the same mountain where Moses encountered the burning bush.

Elijah was on a journey to seek God. He knew that in the midst of his weakness, he needed the consolation and strength of Yahweh.

This journey was different than his fleeing earlier for he was not driven by fear, but compelled by hope.

Psalm 46:1–3 NASB95

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.

What do you do when you feel dejected? Seek God.

Jeremiah 29:13 NASB95

‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

The next segment of Elijah’s circumstance addresses:

What To Do When You Feel Deserted (9-13)

Elijah made it to Horeb and camped in a cave. Still feeling a bit overwhelmed with life, but seeking some sort of word from the Lord.

And God spoke, not to give him answers, but to ask a probing question: Why are you here?

Note Elijah’s response in v. 10 (READ)

They’ve all left. Everyone has betrayed you God, and those who didn’t are dead. I’m all there is.

Elijah felt very alone. Of course, we notice that he left his servant in Judah and evidently had forgotten about the whole clan of Israelites who repented on Mt. Carmel not to mention the prophets that Obadiah had hidden in caves. The reality is that Elijah’s despair had magnified the situation.

*This happens a lot to us, doesn’t it? We feel down and then we use superlative language and say “You always ignore me” or “You never take time to be with just me”

Elijah was doing some of that here. Even so, the emotion was real. Elijah felt deserted, abandoned; all alone. He might have asked questions like, “What’s the point?” Nobody cares about me anyway...

Can you relate to Elijah?

But once again, let me point out that God met Elijah at the point of his deepest need. Let me read v. 11-13 (READ)

Notice the statement- The Lord was passing by! IOW- the very presence of God was coming near to Elijah.

And we see that there was a mighty wind, an earthquake, and a fire, but God was not in these. And it’s not that God couldn’t have chosen to show His glory through any of these mighty phenoms. In fact, we just talked about how God revealed Himself by sending fire on Mt. Carmel!

But in Elijah’s time of need, he didn’t need a marvelous display of God’s power, but rather he needed the gentle comfort of God’s compassion. He needed to “Be still and sit with God.”(Ps. 46:10) He needed to know and be known by the Father. He needed linger at His feet- knowing that God hears our pleas, even when they are misguided or wrong.

Folks- Hear me: When you feel like you are all alone; like nobody cares for you or has time for you, God will meet you in your time of greatest need. He calls out, “Come to me you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest!”

What do you do when you feel deserted? Sit with the Lord.

Psalm 16:11 NASB95

You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Finally, we will address:

What To Do When You Feel Disoriented (14-18)

Elijah poured his heart out to God in v. 14 - the same complaint he voiced in v. 10… I want to point out that this is often what we do when we feel lost. We don’t really have a good answer for anything. Why are are you here? What do you want? So we just babble out what keeps bouncing around in our heads.

Ultimately, he really did not know what to do. He did not know what step to take or what direction to even look. Indeed, he wasn’t sure that he was even usable to God. After all, he failed to bring the king to repent. Maybe he felt washed up. I imagine that he felt that there was nothing that he could do.

He served faithfully, but looking back, it didn’t appear to bring about much fruit.

I want to speak to our older folks here especially for a moment. Do you ever feel like you’ve run your course and there is nothing left for you?

How about our young adults and teens- Do you ever feel like you don’t know how to plug in or be useful to God?

That’s how Elijah felt. But let me tell you, that God will meet you at the point of your greatest need and give you purpose- just like He did for Elijah.

Look with me at verses 15-18 (READ)

Here is what God did: God commissioned Elijah to anoint or set apart leaders for the next generation. For Elijah, that meant anointing kings and a replacement for himself.

Friends, I believe that as long as you have breath in your lungs, God has a purpose for your life!

Older folks, your purpose won’t look like it used to. You may have once served by being an up-front, hands-on leader of missions or ministry. But now, perhaps God is calling you to mentor these young folks so they can confidently take up the mantle that you can no longer carry.

Younger folks, take that first step and jump in. Welcome folks as they come in, help take up the offering, go on a mission trip. Serve- God has a purpose for you. He has called you to be useful for His Kingdom. And when you serve according to God’s purpose, in the context of His Bride, the church, He will honor you.

Are you disoriented, looking for your next step in life? SERVE the Lord.

Psalm 100:2 NASB95

Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing.

Friends, I know that there are times when this life is overwhelming- when things go wrong or when our hopes are not fulfilled. But in our despair, our loneliness, and in our confusion, GOD WILL MEET US AT THE POINT OF OUR GREATEST NEED.

This morning, if you need God’s comfort, encouragement, or direction, I invite you to step from your seat, come forward to this altar and:

Seek the Lord, Sit with Him, and Serve Him. And He will give you hope, comfort, and purpose.

Romans 15:13 NASB95

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

[PRAY]

NOTE- Song: Stand By Me