Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, 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.” Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night.
And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.” (1 Kings 19:1-18 NIV)
“I have had enough, Lord. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Can you imagine hearing your pastor say that? Elijah said it: “I have had enough, Lord. Take my life.” He was that discouraged. That hopeless. Do you ever feel that way? I do. It’s hard to feel like you’re the only one. The only one who cares. The only one with your opinions. The only one who still believes. The only one at your house. How often over the past months have you wanted to throw up your hands and say, “I have had enough, Lord. Take my life…” Enough of other people not caring… Enough of God not listening… Ever feel that way? Like you’re the only one? Elijah did. I do.
To know why Elijah felt like the only one, we have to remember what happened on Mt. Carmel. We heard about Mt. Carmel last Sunday. It sounds like a great place, doesn’t it—Mt. Carmel? You’d expect a river of chocolate and gum drop trees and M & Ms all over the ground… Sadly, Mt. Carmel wasn’t actually made out of caramel. But it was the sight of Elijah’s big showdown with the prophets of Baal. Each side built an altar but didn’t set it on fire. Then each side prayed to their God—to the Lord or Baal—and the God who sent fire from heaven was the true God.
Remember what happened? Elijah let the 450 prophets of Baal go first. They prayed to Baal. They danced all day. They even hurt themselves, trying to get Baal’s attention. Did it work? Nope. Baal isn’t real! Elijah took his turn. He poured water on everything. Then he prayed one time, “Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God” (1 Kings 18:37). Know what happened? Boom! Fire fell from heaven and burned up everything. All the people were amazed and shouted, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!” Wow!
You’d think that would be the turning point: Out with Baal. Back to the Lord! Imagine King Ahab telling what happened to wicked Queen Jezebel—who loved Baal: “It was unbelievable, honey. Elijah just said one prayer. Just one little prayer. And fire fell from the sky! I can still feel the heat!” And Jezebel said, “So?” Sometimes we Christians think that if we just make the right arguments, if we just show the right evidence, everyone will believe in Jesus. Right? No. Jezebel shows how sinful and stubborn our hearts are. Instead of repenting, she sent Elijah a message, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” What would Elijah get for proving that the LORD is God? Death.
Elijah was devastated. That’s an understatement. Elijah was completely broken. After all that God had done on Mt. Carmel, the result was… nothing? I’d like to say that Elijah kept trusting in God. Nope. He ran. “Elijah was afraid and ran for his life.” He didn’t just run a little. He ran 100 miles to Beersheba, the southernmost tip of Judah. But that wasn’t far enough. He kept going 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.’”
How often do you feel like that? Like a failure. Like life is not worth living. How often aren’t our very best days seemingly always followed by our worst. Highs are followed by even deeper lows. It sure seems like doing the right thing doesn’t pay. Like there’s no reason to follow what God says. What’s the point? You get so disappointed. It doesn’t seem worth it to continue. So you run. You try to run away from the pain. To run away from the disappointment. You run and run until you can’t run anymore and sit down and say, “I have had enough, Lord, take my life!”
So did you hear what God did? He made Elijah supper. That’s like vintage God! He cares so much for us—always. God sent an angel to Elijah who made him a cake of bread baked over hot coals with a jar of water. And Elijah ate. But then he lay back down. So the angel woke up him again and encouraged him to eat some more. Our God cares. In your lowest, weakest moments, God hasn’t abandoned you. Not at all! He wasn’t done with Elijah. “Strengthened by that food, Elijah traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.”
Have you heard of Horeb, the mountain of God? Not ringing any bells? It’s better known by a different name—Mt. Sinai. Heard of that? This wasn’t a coincidence. Mt. Sinai was where God gave Moses and the Israelites the 10 Commandments. It’s where God had made his covenant with them. If the Israelites followed God’s commands, they would be his special people. “When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, ‘Everything the Lord has said we will do’” (Exodus 24:3-4). How did that turn out? Not good. So Elijah went back to that very mountain where the Israelites had made their promise to God.
“And the word of the Lord came to him: ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’” It wasn’t a rebuke. It was an invitation. Like when a friend sits down next to you and says, “Tell me what’s going on…” Elijah said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” Look what made Elijah upset: It wasn’t politics. It wasn’t inflation. He was so upset that people didn’t believe in God. That’s a real reason to get upset! For God’s sake. The Israelites had broken their covenant with God.
But we can’t help but also notice how focused he was on himself. “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty… I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” What words do you hear repeating? “I”, “I”, “me.” Do you know why Elijah felt like the only one? Because the only person he was thinking of was himself. If you only think about yourself and care about yourself, you’ll always feel like the only one. I bet you’ve realized this: Joy and hope aren’t found inside us. Just a disappointing heart that’s just as sinful as Queen Jezebel’s. If the only one you’re thinking of is you, you’re always going to feel like you’re the only one! So what can you do? Here’s a better question: What does God do when you feel like you’re the only one?
He starts by reminding you that you’re not alone. God said to Elijah, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Was Elijah alone? No way! God was with him, and God counts! God himself was going to pass by Elijah. “Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord.” But was the Lord in the wind? Nope. “After the wind there was an earthquake.” But was the Lord in the earthquake? Nope. “After the earthquake came a fire.” But was the Lord in the fire? Nope.
Where was he? “After the fire came a gentle whisper.” Some of you grew up with the King James Version of the Bible. Do you remember how the King James said “gentle whisper”? “A still small voice.” There’s often a problem every time we feel alone or abandoned or worthless: We’re looking for God in the wrong places. How often don’t we think, “God, just do something big!” We want a showdown. We want more fire from heaven! But how does God communicate with us? Through a still small voice in his Word. Don’t look for God in the wind or earthquake or fire. Listen to the still small voice. It whispers: You’re not alone. God is with you in his Word.
It’s that still small voice of the Bible that says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God didn’t just send fire down from heaven. He sent his Son Jesus down from heaven. God didn’t just defeat the prophets of Baal. He defeated sin, death, and the devil when Jesus died for us on the cross. In fact, God has made a new covenant with us. It’s a covenant of grace. “Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God saves us by faith in Jesus. His people walk by faith, not by sight. You won’t find that in any earthquake. You hear it in God’s Word—that still small voice. When it seems like you’re the only one, you’re not! Jesus is always with you in his Word.
But Jesus isn’t just with you. He has plans for you. God still had big plans for Elijah. “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha … to succeed you as prophet.” God put Elijah to work. Sometimes that’s exactly what we need when we’re down—to see God’s purpose for us in our lives. God has a mission for you in life too. What’s yours? You might feel like you’re the only one, but the still small voice says, “God isn’t done with you yet!” He has plans for you. Don’t sit on the sidelines. Get involved in God’s church.
It’s pretty impressive what God sent Elijah out to do: Anoint new world leaders—two kings and a prophet. It’s so good for us to be reminded today that it is God who puts people into power. It’s God who removes people from power. Even in Elijah’s messed up world with wicked kings and wicked queens, God was in complete control. This is why the Bible tells us to respect and obey our government—whoever that is. Because God’s in control. Doesn’t that take pressure off of you? Doesn’t that take pressure off of me? Don’t throw your energy into building up earthly kingdoms. There’s something so much more important: Seek to build up the kingdom of God!
That’s the final comfort God gave his lonely prophet: “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.” Elijah wasn’t the only one. Not just because God was with him. Not just because God had a plan for him. But also because he really wasn’t the only one. Even if Elijah couldn’t see them, there were thousands of other faithful believers in God. What a reminder that we need other Christians, and other Christians need you! At a time when it’s so convenient to just get everything at home, to just do things virtually, you need to be around other Christians. You need people to tell you that you’re not alone. You are loved. You are cared for! And the people around you—and your pastor —need to hear that from you. Don’t let the devil drive you apart from your family in Christ.
Because no matter how you feel, no matter how it looks, you are not the only one. When those feelings creep back into your heart, listen to the still small voice of God’s Word: “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). When it feels like you’re the only one, you’re not. “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus loves you, and we do too!
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