Elijah.
A man. A prophet. Called by God and simply obedient. What can we take from his life, his story?
I am currently reading about Elijah and in the next few days, I will share parts of my writing (from my daily devotional times), along with a few quotes that I find striking.
Today, I respond after reading about Elijah’s greatest moment of discouragement.
Even the prophet Elijah, this mighty man of prayer, became discouraged, fearing for his life. This is interesting, because God just moved mightily though Elijah, and in front of hundreds of witnesses. How could Elijah, after all God had proven, suddenly distrust God’s protection ? So , Elijah ran, and certainly, this is a low moment. A failing moment, at that. But instead of running from God into eternal rebellion, Elijah ran into isolation and prayed, saying, “”It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”
What about his prayer? Can we not, in all our natural humanness, understand such a prayer? While it was not necessarily honorable to run, this prayer to God depicts that Elijah still had a heart set after God’s. Elijah was honest with God, praying earnestly in his discouragement.
We should all take note here. There will be times of uncertainty, yes? There will be times when we feel burdened by ministries, yes. But instead of building walls, becoming disingenuous in our walks, or turning into rebellion, we should seek to be honest with God, trusting in his response. We should run into solitude, just to fall down at the mercy of Christ. When in despair, that is where our hearts should be found. It is there where God reveals himself as as tender God, full of love and affection, treating our frail humanities’ most offensive failures with the sweetest grace possible.
~May our prayers be unceasingly honest, as we can be sure to entrust God with our frail hearts and premature words. We may fall; we may arise. Wherever we are, we can be sure of God’s great affection,
A Stephens.
“Elijah failed in the very point at which he was strongest, and that is where most men fail. In Scripture, it is the wisest man who proves himself to be the greatest fool; just as the meekest man, Moses, spoke hasty and bitter words. Abraham failed in his faith, and Job in his patience; so, he who was the most courageous of all men, fled from an angry woman.” (Spurgeon)
“Elijah said, ‘It is enough,’ yet it was not enough even for his own enjoyment, for the Lord had more blessings in store for him … It was so with Elijah, for he was to have that wonderful revelation of God on Mount Horeb. He had more to enjoy, and the later life of Elijah appears to have been one of calm communion with his God; he seems never to have had another fainting fit, but to the end his sun shone brightly without a cloud. So it was not enough; how could he know that it was? It is God alone who knows when we have done enough, and enjoyed enough; but we do not know.” (Spurgeon)
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