A Word to the Disheartened

A disheartened servant

A compassionate God

Big Idea: Turn your focus from what you are seeing to what God is saying.

Accept God’s invitation to speak.

Accept God’s invitation to listen.

Accept God’s invitation to listen.

Philippians 2:9–11 ESV

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Revelation 21:4 ESV

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

John 16:33 ESV

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Matthew 24:9–14 ESV

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

2 Corinthians 5:19 ESV

that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

2 Peter 3:9 ESV

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Study Guide

After the great victory over the prophets of Baal, why do you think Elijah was discouraged?

Although is one of the best examples of a powerful encounter in the Bible, chapter 19 demonstrates that God’s miraculous works did not bring about repentance, at least not on a scale broad enough to be mentioned. Understandably, Elijah collapsed into an almost hysterical pessimism about what he took to be the failure of God’s purposes. Elijah had hoped the victory at Mount Carmel would end Baal worship in Israel. The clear lesson is that, despite miracles, sinful people can still reject the greatest of God’s signs (). So too, faithful disciples are wrong to suppose that they are all alone or that God’s purposes have truly failed.

In what settings have you felt that you were the only believer?

How did Elijah express his despair about his circumstances?

Elijah was disheartened that the Israelites rejected God after the signs and wonders He performed in chapter 18. Elijah must have felt his work had been for nothing. Elijah felt spiritually alone. What is more, Elijah’s faith may have crumbled due to his physical and emotional exhaustion: “Then Elijah became afraid and immediately ran for his life” (v. 3a). Elijah was so discouraged, he retreated into the wilderness and “sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die” (v. 4a).

Who approached Elijah in verses 5-7? How does God provide for Elijah in the wilderness?

Have you ever come to a point of discouragement where you have approached God like Elijah? What do you do in those moments? In what ways does God meet you where you’re at?

Note that the very tree that a depressed and disheartened Elijah sat under was the same tree that God used to provide shelter and provision. The broom tree provided shade, and its roots could be used for heat and food. In verses 5-8, after Elijah ate and rested, he returned to the place where the covenant had been given, Mount Horeb, or Sinai. There, Elijah would have his personal faith renewed by God’s presence: “So he got up, ate, and drank. Then on the strength from that food, he walked 40 days and 40 nights to Horeb, the mountain of God. He entered a cave there and spent the night” (v. 9).

Look at verses 10-14. When have you seen Christians this broken over God’s cause?

What is significant about the fact that the Lord could not be found in the earthquake or in the fire, but in a “soft whisper” (v. 12)? What does the Lord’s response to Elijah reveal about His nature?

What is significant about the fact that the Lord could not be found in the earthquake or in the fire, but in a “soft whisper” (v. 12)? What does the Lord’s response to Elijah reveal about His nature?

In verses 11-13, God first revealed His presence to Elijah in His greatness and power, but note that God did not speak from that position. The Lord instead spoke to Elijah in a soft whisper, showing Himself to be a God who communicates via a still, small voice as well as powerful displays.

How does God’s whisper in chapter 19 contrast with His powerful display against the Baals in chapter 18? Why do you think, in this circumstance, God needed to be known through a whisper rather than signs and wonders?

Have you ever come to a point of discouragement where you have approached God like Elijah? What do you do in those moments? In what ways does God meet you where you’re at?

In what discouraging circumstances can you remind yourself that God is still in control?

Like Elijah, what habit could you cultivate to make yourself more attune to hearing God’s voice?