Feeling All Alone
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 147 viewsNotes
Transcript
Handout
Intro:
4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”
As we continue our Year of Prayer, I want to look at an aspect of prayer in Elijah’s life that concerned loneliness. The title of my message is, [Feeling All Alone].
I have a fun fact this morning. In the United States there are nearly 2,000 chimpanzee’s in zoos across the country. Chimpanzees live in family groups of six to ten. In the wild, they have communities of up to 100.
Since I was a child, I enjoyed looking at the Chimpanzees at the zoo. Every zoo I’ve been too has them. But that has not always been the case.
In 1874, there were four Chimpanzees in the United States. Two of them were on display at the zoo in Philadelphia. They were named Mr. and Miss Chimpanzee.
The superintendent of the zoo explained that they had to capture the chimps when they were young, long before they remembered living with a large group.
For four years Mr. and Miss Chimpanzee lived at the zoo, until Miss Chimpanzee died. The caretakers at the zoo were shocked at the frenzy of grief in Mr. Chimpanzee.
He pulled the hair from his head, made sounds the zookeeper never heard from the animal, and poked his head under a pile of straw and moaned as if his heart would break.
For years, Mr. Chimpanzee was never the same. The zookeeper wrote an article that circulated around the nation about the reaction of Mr. Chimpanzee.
He wrote that fear, “of unseen dangers has been heightened by his sense of loneliness.”
We are familiar with the concept of loneliness. However, before 1800 the term loneliness rarely appeared in the English language. And it was not until the 1959 that psychiatry discovered loneliness in patients.
Before the 1950s, families were larger and lived closer together. In 1950, only 9% of households had one person in the home. Now, 28% of households have one person living there.
But in 2021, there is an epidemic of loneliness. In an age where people are more connected through technology, people have begun to feel more isolated than ever.
Many people struggle with feeling all alone.
Let me explain though, being alone does not automatically mean someone is lonely, and being around a lot of people does not mean that someone is not lonely.
For instance, I work in my office by myself and do not feel all alone.
But once I preached in Florida, surrounded by hundreds of people. After service, there were many people still there, but I felt all alone.
God did not intend for us to go through this life alone. When He created Adam, He determined,
18 And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”
God has always intended for us to communicate and spend time with other people. But remember, the enemy destroy God’s plan. It is not an accident that more people feel alone than in the past.
Why would Satan want people to feel all alone?
When we become isolated, we feel the sting of loneliness, which can lead to mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual problems.
In our text we read of Elijah. The great prophet who called down fire from heaven, had not sunk to the lowest point in his life.
He felt all alone, so much that he asked God to let him die. After his greatest victory, Elijah felt the sting of defeat. He felt all alone.
I have been very prayerful about this message. When I got to 1 Kings, I knew I needed to preach from this chapter. For if the enemy can convince us we are all alone, he can eventually destroy us.
What then do we do when we start feeling all alone? Even if we have good friends, a close family, and a wonderful church, feeling all alone can creep up on anyone, even the Prophet Elijah.
God included this chapter in Elijah’s biography to help us 2021. It is not good for us to be alone. For when we isolate ourselves, we become vulnerable to Satan’s attacks.
As Pastor Davis told me, the lone banana gets peeled.
Therefore, should we begin feeling all alone, we need to pray. Let’s divide this chapter into three parts, [The Escape], [The Experience], and [The Explanation].
1. The Escape
1. The Escape
1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword.
2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”
3 And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs 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 broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”
Elijah enjoyed two massive defeats against the enemy in his life. He called down fire from heaven to restore true worship in Israel. Then at his word, God ended a three and a half year drought in Israel.
We can trace many of Israel’s problems to a weak king with a wicked wife. Ahab went home to tell Jezebel everything that happened.
I can picture it in my mind:
Jezebel, you remember that troublemaker Elijah? He made me look like a fool. He challenged our prophets to Baal and we lost. Then he ended the drought and even outran my chariot on foot.
Jezebel in intense fury sent a message to Elijah— I am making a covenant with myself, if I do not kill you by tomorrow, I want the gods to kill me.
We might assume that the great prophet of power would see through Jezebel’s fear tactics, but the opposite happened. Elijah was afraid.
In fear, he escaped from Israel. Where did he go?
Last time he left Israel he went to Sidon, where the widow of Zarephath took care of him. But that would not work this time. Jezebel’s dad was the king of Sidon and there was a bounty out for Elijah.
Instead, he ran south. Not just a little ways, he fled at least 150 miles south to the nation of Judah to the town of Beersheba, the southernmost town in Judah.
In other words, he went as far away from Israel as he could. But he wanted to be in a land that honored God, so he stayed in the borders of the land promised to God’s people.
He was all alone in the wilderness and prayed. What did he pray?
He did not pray for supernatural power or the removal of Jezebel. Instead, he prayed that God would take his life. He had enough. He felt all alone and saw no hope for the future.
He laid down to sleep and the Lord sent an angel. Supernaturally God provided food and water for him. The Lord told him to eat and get ready for the journey that lay ahead of him.
I find it interesting WHEN Elijah felt all alone. When he declared to God on Mount Carmel in front of the false prophets on Mt. Carmel, I alone am left as a prophet in Israel.
Even when he knew he was all alone, he did not feel all alone. Now, he had his greatest victory, and he felt defeated, despondent, and lonely.
Normally, after a breakthrough is when we feel the sting of loneliness. I experienced this when I traveled after as an evangelist. I would come home from a great revival or service, and the next day feel discouraged or down.
Even now as a pastor, we might have a great service and later that day or the next, I will start to feel all alone.
I now identify it as an attack of the enemy to steal the victory God has given. It is in those moments that we need to escape. Not physically escape, but spiritually, get alone to pray.
In those moments we can be blunt and honest before the Lord. Prayerfully, He will come down and give us...
2. The Experience
2. The Experience
8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.
9 And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 So he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
After some rest and food (never underestimate the power of a nap and a snack) Elijah headed a little further to Mount Horeb. This name might mean little, but it was significant in the Old Testament.
Mount Horeb was also known as Mount Sinai. It was on Mount Sinai that God revealed himself to an important man in Israel— Moses. It was there:
Moses saw the burning bush
Moses struck the rock and water flowed from the rock
Moses recieved instructions for the future of Israel
Now, Elijah goes to the place where God revealed Himself to Moses. Elijah stumbled into a cave, and spent the night.
At some point, God asked him, Elijah, what are you doing here?
God knew how low Elijah felt, but He gave Elijah the opportunity to express how he felt. He was so low, he focused on all of Israel’s problems:
The people have forgotten and forsaken your covenant
They have destroyed your altars
They have willingly let Jezebel kill your prophets.
Now I am all alone, the only prophet left and they are out to kill me too.
Knowing the rest of Elijah’s life in the following chapters, we might read this part and think, don’t you know that God will be with you Elijah? It could be easy to question his faith.
But try and think of how Elijah felt. He was discouraged and worried for his life. But God wanted to give him a supernatural experience.
11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces 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.
God instructed Elijah to get out of the cave. Just as He did for Moses, God now passed by Elijah. When the Lord passed by:
The wind blew so strong that the rocks were tore loose from the mountain
An earthquake came
And then fire fell
In times past, God spoke through wind, earthquakes, and fire, but for Elijah, God was in any of these events.
Instead, when the wind died down, the earthquake stopped, and the fire cooled, Elijah listened and discovered, God was in the still small voice as the sound of a gentle whisper.
Elijah’s world felt rocked to its core physically and spiritually. He felt all alone. But now, Elijah was still and quiet enough to listen for God to speak.
Perhaps Elijah remembered the words of the Psalmist:
1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
In a time of solitude and silence, He heard God’s voice. The voice of his familiar friend had to bring peace. For through this experience, God gave...
3. The Explanation
3. The Explanation
13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
When Elijah heard God’s voice, he wrapped his face with his mantle. Why would he take his cloak and cover his face? He was in the presence of God, and knew no one could see God’s face and live.
Once again, Elijah listed the reasons he felt all alone. God wanted Elijah to understand what He had in mind for the future for Elijah and Israel. I will summarize what God did for Elijah:
He demonstrated His presence
He spoke in a still small voice
He gave Elijah a new assignment
He gave assurance he was not alone
He supplied him with a ministry partner
How did God do this for the prophet?
He told Elijah to go back where he was and to find two people and anoint them. In the Old Testament, anointing someone meant setting them apart for service.
He was to find two men, Jehu and Elijah. God explained, one day, Jehu will be king and Elisha will be a prophet in your place.
Between the two of them, Ahab will die and Jezebel will fall to her death. Furthermore, Ahab’s seventy sons will die, and eventually Jehu will destroy the hold of Baal on Israel.
Furthermore, Elisha will follow in the prophet’s footsteps, doing twice as many miracles as he did. One by one, Elisha will work to restore proper worship to Israel.
Elijah means— My God is Lord
Elisha means— God saves
The Lord will continue His work through His prophets!
And finally:
18 Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
He wanted Elijah to know, he was not alone. Though he felt like he was the only one who truly loved God, there were still 7,000 others in Israel who were dedicated to the Lord.
God explained to Elijah the truth, feeling all alone and being all alone are two different scenarios. Even the great prophet of Israel was not exempt from Satan’s attack of isolation.
Close:
Feeling all alone. After one of his greatest victories, the prophet thought it was all over, he felt alone. Had Elijah not prayed, he might have continued feeling this way.
But through prayer to God, listening to God’s voice, and obeying God’s instruction, the Lord helped him see the bigger picture.
I would love to say Elijah’s feelings were an isolated incident of the Old Testament. But the fact is, the enemy wants to deceive us into believing we are all alone.
As we serve Jesus, he will lie to us saying:
you’re the only one in your family who really loves God
you’re the only one in your circle of friends who is serious about God
you’re the only one struggling with that temptation
you’re the only one who faces depression or anxiety
you’re the only one doubts yourself
you’re the only one who has it as bad as you do
The enemy wants us to assume everyone else is either serving God in perfection or forsaken God to their own desires, and we are all alone with our feelings, thoughts, temptations, and desires.
But if we have ever felt all alone, we are in good company. God has used many people who were surrounded on all sides and felt all alone. In addition to Elijah:
Moses felt all alone as he lead Israel
14 I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me.
David felt all alone as he felt the sting of rejection
1 Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me.
2 Many are they who say of me, “There is no help for him in God.” Selah
Paul described feeling all alone in his service to God. He told the church in Corinth:
8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—
I have said this many times, but serving Jesus is the best thing we can do, but it is not always easy. Salvation does not exempt us from problems.
In fact, when we really decide, I am going to live for God, I am going to raise my family in church, I am going to pray, fast, seek God, read my Bible, pay my tithe, and stay faithful, that is when the enemy will attack us.
So what do we do? We escape by ourselves to hear from God. We pray until we have that experience with God, and then we will have this explanation— I might feel all alone, but God is on my side.
I want to read the rest of what Paul told the Corinthian Church:
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
What do we do when we feel all alone?
We don’t give up and we do not quit. Even though we feel worn out and wonder what the future holds, we remember God will renew as we pray.
We must view our troubles and problems as short-lived in light of eternity. For as people of the Spirit, we do not emphasize what is seen, but what is unseen!
For Elijah, all he could see was the threat of Jezebel. But what was unseen was the future, a future, king, prophet, and defeat of the enemy.
For Moses, all he could see was the weight of leading the Israelites. But what was unseen was God’s Spirit coming upon seventy elders who would prophesy.
For David, all people could see was the voices who told him he was so alone, even God couldn’t help him. But what was unseen was the fact that God is the glory and the lifter up of our heads.
For Paul, all people could see was the constant attacks, but Paul saw something different. He remembered the voice of Jesus who spoke to him and said I am going to use you to do great things for my Kingdom.
For us, we might see the problems, perplexities, and potential disaster, but what about what is unseen?
We have a God who we’ve never seen who loves us so much He sent His son.
We have a Savior who we’ve never seen, but He died on the cross for us and rose from the dead, victorious over sin.
We have the Holy Spirit, who we’ve never seen, but He will give us supernatural power.
When we’re feeling all alone, focused on the problems that surround us, we must remember, God will help me look beyond what I can SEE, and trust that He will help me.
So what do we do when we’re feeling all alone:
Escape and get alone with God
Experience His presence as we pray
Explain to the enemy, I am not alone, I cannot see my future, but I know if I will continue to trust God, He will always be in my future. And with Him in my future, I can make it and will keep going on in faith!