A Man of Destiny/Dispondency

Intro

What comes to mind when you hear the name: Elijah?

Powerful Prophet; Mighty man of God; a man of destiny.

Let me give you a little back story on the man and where we find ourselves in todays passage.

A really wretched man names Ahab became king of Israel and he married an absolute witch of a woman, whos name im sure many of you have heard of: Jezebel.

This is a woman of evil and great wickedness, she uses her power to turn all the people of Irael away from God to the worship of Ball, a child sacrificing religion of evil.

1 Kings 21:25 ESV

25 (There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited.

To do this she begins a systematic killing of all of the prophets of God. She kills all of them, except 100 who another man Obadiah managed to hide in the wilderness.

Her evil does not last for weeks or months but years. In fcat even after her death, Israel remaind criple for decades because of her work.

By killing all the prophets she was in essence cutting people off from God, Starving them of His Word and promises.

To combat this God calls Elijah, a man of destiny - to go out and challage her reign of evil and show God’s almighty power over the false Idols of Baal.

It begins by pronouncing a terrible drought that lasted for years, drinking up the river, lakes and caying widesperad destruction.

And it all comes to a head in the famous confrontation on Mt Carmel. Truly Elijah’s finest hour.

the lone prophet of God against the 450 prophets of Baal. The challage: Call down fire to consume the alter.

Balls prophets failed and Elijah makes this powerful statment:

1 Kings 18:36–37 ESV

36 And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”

The fire of God falls, God wins and the false prophets of Ball are killed. The heavens are opened and lifegiving rain falls once again of the charred ground of Israel.

That my friends is what we call a mountan Top experience!

However, king Ahab runs home to Jezebel and tells her what happened. She is fuming!

She send a messenger to Elijah:

1 Kings 19:2–3 ESV

2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 3 Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

Knowiung the power, influence and reach of this false queen of Irael Elijah runs for his life into the wilderness.

Now...

Now we must remeber than just because all of the above takes place in a few pages, the reality is that Elijah had been going through this for a long time.

He had to hear everyday about his prophet freinds who had been murdered. He had to watch as Isreal decended into the evil practice of Ball worship, he had to hear the creams of the children as they thrown alive into the fire, he had to watch Isreal’s economy creash as the drought brought dead to livestock, crops and food supplies.

Om Mt Carmel i am sure Elijah thought that this battle was finally over, Jezebel would be defeated, Ahab would be overthrown, Isreal would return to God.

But instead of rest, he finds that Jezebels anger and energy has doubled against him and intead of restiung, Elijah is running.

He runs to the wiulderness, finds a cave, sits down and pours out his heart to God in one of the most open, honest and sincere prayers in the bible.

Elijah, the man of power, desitiny and purpose prays like this:

1 Kings 19:4 NIV84

4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”

“I have had enough, Lord”

Listen to the depth of those words and tell me you have not at least thought the same.

We just wittnessed Elijah on the mountan, now we wittness the same man, Elijah in a cave.

The man who said: “Let it be known that I am a servant oif God”, also says “I have had Enough, Lord”

Modern Christianity

Modern Christiany is overly obsessed with the mountan tops and not the caves of life.

Everyone wants a mountn top moment and then expects to live there the rest of their life.

For some reason mountan tops have come to mean that you are doing things right. That mountan tops are the only place to be and that mountan tops are God’s only will and purpose for you life.

If you are on the mountan Top you are admired, respected and praiused. But in a cave, you are shunned, judged and questioned.

The result is that many christians pretend, they always pretend like they are living on the mountan top, always happy, always victorious, always on fire, always rejoicing.

Because after all, if you are not on the mountan top - there must be sometrhing wrong with you or your faith.

We are always walking on water, never sinking because that would mean you took your eyes off of Jesus - Shame on You Peter!

We are always defeating Giolths, never hiding in a cave, because that would mean you diddnt rust God - Shame on you David!

We are always calm, never saced for our lives in a storm because that would mean we had little faith - Shame on your Disciples.

We live in such a fake world of pretend, terrified that we might find ourslves, like Elijah in a cave, because that would mean something is wrong with us.

Well, to everyone who has shamed another christian, not for sin, that does need to be delt with with humility and getleness, but for everyone who has shamed a fellowing child of God for:

Like David, worring about tomorrow - Shame on you!

Like Peter for monentarly taking their eyes off of Jesus while having the courage to step out in faith - Shame on You

For like the disciples of paniciking in one of lifes storms - Shame on you!

Caves are normal

My frinds let me be the first to say:

I have had some wonderful mountan top moments like Elijah, BUT i have had far more, particualiry thius last year, I have found myself sitting in Elijah cave, that stading on top of Elijahs mountan.

I know the joy of saying “I am a servant of God” but latley i have found myself saying, like the prophet of God: “I have had enough Now, Lord”

I am tired, i am worn out, i am sacared, i feel alone, i dont know whats going to happened, I dont know what to do, i dont know how to help, I dont know what to say.

I have had enough now, Lord.

My friends Elijah shows us that there is nothing abnormal, shameful or serious about being in a cave when life gets tough.

God had not abandoned Elijah, God was not upset with Elijah, God was not dfisapoined with Elijah, God was not embarred with Elijah, God did not regret calling Elijah.

Help Comes

in fact, when Elijah prays trhis honest prayer and cry for help, God immedily comes to the wornout prophets helps.

And God gives him powerful instruction.

1 Kings 19:5–8 ESV

5 And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” 8 And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.

A few things i want you to notice:

1: God’s specific commaned to Elijah.

I want you to noice what God does NOT say:

God does Not say: Try harder, fast more, be stronger, prayer better - in fcat God does not lay any blame on Elijah at all for his dispondency - He does not blame Elijah.

Ending up in a cave becasuse of lifes battles is not your fault.

But God does give the prophet some very simple BUT powerful help.

Arise and Eat.

When our bodies work hard through labour or excerzise we feel weak and tired because we have used our energy stors. We need those stores replenished with food.

In the same way when we undergo spiritual stress we can use up our faith supplies.

Faith is to spirtiuality what carbs are to excersise.

And God’s command is a simple one: You need to feed and nourish yourself to rebuild youjr strength.

Romans 10:17 ESV

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

The word of God is the food we need to eat.

Matthew 4:4 ESV

4 But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

Also notyice that Eijah is not instatntly back, it takes time, The angel came to him once and then again, with the same command: Arise and eat.

When runners know they are going to have a big race they carbo-load. Thy take extra carbs into their system to help them.

When we are in a cave we need to scripture-load.

We need to read and mediate on scripture more than ever. We need to feed on it daily and throughout the day.

We need to go humbly before God, with His word open and ask him to nourish us, strengthen us, heal us, supply us by his grace.