Faithful in Suffering 1 Kings 19:1-18

The Lord is faithful to us, even as we walk through suffering

This morning, I want us to look at the life of one of God’s prophets, Elijah. We will see today how the Lord rescued His servant from deep despair.

In the year 2010, a group of 33 miners in the nation of Chile were trapped underground after the mine they were working in collapsed. For 69 days, the world waited and watched while experts from all over the world planned and prepared a rescue operation. Incredibly, all 33 of those men were saved out of the collapsed mine. I can tell you that they all had one thing in common. None of those miners could save themselves! They had to have someone to deliver them and we can trust God to deliver us as well!

I. The Lord Blesses Elijah with Mercy vv. 1-8

In our story this morning, Elijah the prophet has won a tremendous victory over the prophets of Baal on Mt Carmel

The Lord answered his prayers with fire from heaven and the prophets of Baal were destroyed

Now, however, thing have taken a turn for the worst. Jezebel, the evil queen of Israel has sworn to have Elijah killed

Elijah flees into the wilderness and finds himself seated underneath the shade of a tree in despair

He is lonely, tired, disappointed, and afraid

His prayer to the Lord reflects just how difficult his position was:

He asked the Lord to end his life

He viewed himself as a failure, just as his fathers before him had been

We need to pay attention here to how the Lord responds to Elijah’s prayer:

His answer is patient- He does not grow angry but treats Elijah with mercy

His answer is practical- He gives Elijah what he needs most, rest and food

His answer is purposeful- He instructs Elijah to go on a journey for the next 40 days.

I think we can learn a very important lesson here: I can trust the Lord with my hurting

Psalm 34:15–19

[15] The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous

and his ears toward their cry.

[16] The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,

to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

[17] When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears

and delivers them out of all their troubles.

[18] The LORD is near to the brokenhearted

and saves the crushed in spirit.

[19] Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

but the LORD delivers him out of them all. (ESV)

II. The Lord Speaks to Elijah in a Whisper vv. 9-13

Elijah makes it to Mt Horeb and hides away in a cave

While there, the Word of the Lord comes to him and asks a question: “What are you doing here?”

Elijah reminds the Lord that he has been faithful in his service and that he is facing severe isolation; He believes that he is the only faithful servant of the Lord left

The Lord invites Elijah out of the cave and nearer to His presence

All manner of violent outbursts take place, wind, earthquake, and fire, but Elijah can tell that God’s presence is not in them

Finally, the Lord does speak in a very notable way to Elijah and it is in a quiet whisper

The whisper of God asks Elijah the same question: “What are you doing here?

Elijah is going to gain so much from this encounter, but most of all he is going to gain a new perspective of the presence and power of God

Most significantly, we see that the Lord treats Elijah with a gentleness that is hard for us to imagine sometimes

In this moment, Elijah needs the Lord’s mercy and that is exactly what the Lord intends to give!

Matthew 11:28–30

[28] Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (ESV)

III. The Lord Encourages Elijah with Good News vv. 14-18

Elijah answers again and he is honest about his struggles and fears

The Lord answers Elijah with instructions

This is a good thing; it means that the Lord is not finished with Elijah and he can leave fear behind and return to the Lord’s work

His instructions are to anoint 2 kings, Hazael of Aram and Jehu of Israel to succeed the current leaders, and 1 prophet of Elisha

The Lord also answers Elijah with encouragement:

The presence of these new kings means that God is able to take down and set up kings; Elijah has no reason to fear Ahab

The presence of Elisha means that God is raising up a student and a friend for Elijah and the work will continue

The presence of 7,000 in Israel means that Elijah has not failed, even if he has not seen the fruit of his work

We can trust that God has words of hope for us as well!

Do you trust in God’s mercy?

Several years ago, I found myself in a place of despair. I had served the Lord faithfully and it seemed like everything I did was a failure! I was depressed and anxious and could barely get through some days, because I was so overwhelmed by grief. Then one morning an amazing thing happened. I was reading my Bible and I read a few verses from Psalm 27:13-14 Psalm 27:13–14

[13] I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD

in the land of the living!

[14] Wait for the LORD;

be strong, and let your heart take courage;

wait for the LORD! (ESV)

I had read those verses many times before, but on that morning, something was different. It felt like the Lord was present with me and I heard His whisper: “This is for you, Clint”. I want you to know today that God’s mercy is for you!