Dealing with Discouragement, 1 Kings 19:1-18
One pastor talks about the time when he offered prayers for healing, especially for those who were emotionally hurting. He gave an invitation to come forward for prayer. One by one, then a few more, and before long two thirds of the congregation was stood at the front of the church*.
Discouragement and sometimes depression are a normal part of life for many of us. And even God’s most anointed servants get discouraged or depressed sometimes!
What’s the difference between Discouragement and Depression? Discouragement is usually a milder, more temporary mood swing than its more aggressive cousin depression. Christian psychologist Dr Gary Collins writes that depression may be as mild as a “passing period of sadness that follows a personal disappointment" and in its severer forms can be overwhelming “feelings of despair, fear, exhaustion, immobilizing apathy, hopelessness, and inner desperation”. (Gary R. Collins, PHD, ‘Christian Counselling’, p105)
“An overwhelming sense of despair, fear, exhaustion, immobilizing apathy and hopelessness” is a good description of Elijah. Today Elijah was down. Hours before he had literally had a mountaintop experience.
As we look at what happened, let’s see what we can learn about dealing with discouragement...
1. The Messenger of Discouragement
In verses 1-2 we can imagine the bedraggled King Ahab going back to his witchy old wife Jezebel with his tale between his legs. You should have seen it... The Baal prophets built an altar. Elijah built an altar. The 450 Baal prophets called on Baal to light the fire on the altar. Then Elijah called on Yahweh to light the fire on his altar. The fire fell on Elijah’s altar! Then all those watching said Yahweh is God, and they gave their hearts to him! And Elijah had the Baal prophets taken off and had them executed!
What?! Says Jezebel, may the gods deal with me if I don’t deal with that Elijah! And she sends a death threat to Elijah.
Well Elijah had been having a great time. God had answered his prayers. God had used him. God had shown his power. What a day it had been! But then the messenger arrives with Jezebel’s death threat. And it stops Elijah in his tracks. It brings him tumbling down the mountain and back to a harsh reality.
Now this was a crunch moment for the prophet. What was he going to do with this unwelcome news, this death threat?
This is the crucial moment. What do you do when that messenger of discouragement arrives? When discouragement in whatever shape or form it may take, shows it face... What do you do with it?
2. The Reaction to Discouragement
Well, verses 3-5 tell us what Elijah did with the news. We read Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. This is in a way perhaps a normal reaction to a death threat. But the Bible wants us to notice something here that is conspicuous by its absence. So far, Elijah has only gone anywhere in response to a Word from God. Chapter 17:2, chapter 18:1... The Word of the Lord comes, and Elijah goes. But here, the word of Jezebel comes, and Elijah goes! Who is Elijah listening to here? Is he listening to God? Does he stop to say Lord did you hear what Jezebel has just said? Lord, what should I do? No! He reacts according to the flesh rather than according to the Spirit. A problem hits Elijah between the eyes and he was not hanging around to see what God said about it. He just runs.
When the cause of discouragement comes, what are we going to do with it? For most of us it’s a heart rather than a head response. What I mean is that when that discouraging blow comes, we react instinctively with our feelings. And we usually react by sinking into discouragement or depression. And the feelings take over.
What Elijah could have done at this crucial point was said: Lord, Jezebel is threatening me. What should I do? From personal experience, this is a hard lesson to learn! But God has been trying to teach me this for years!
At the moment of the discouraging blow, we don’t go to ground, we go to God. And until that blow comes we soak and immerse and bathe ourselves in God’s Word. The more we’re in God’s word, the more we’ll have God’s perspective; the more hope we will have that God is good and is in control.
But Elijah has fixed his eyes on the problem instead of God. He has listened to the word of discouragement instead of the word of the Lord. And he heads south. He leaves the northern town of Jezreel and goes as far south as he can, to Beersheba. If we are not careful, discouragement will take us to the wrong places. And Elijah begins to remind us of Jonah.
3. God’s Gracious Encouragement
Then in verses 19:5b-9a we see God’s gracious intervention. You see, if God hadn’t intervened, this could have been the end of Elijah’s ministry. Elijah is in the desert near Beersheba. And God graciously comes to help. He helps with giving Elijah food, water and sleep. Through discouragement Elijah is in the wrong place, but God is still with him.
After a good sleep and some more food Elijah heads for Horeb on a 40 day journey. Horeb, otherwise known as Mt Sinai. Horeb was the place of the burning bush. The 40 day journey reminds us of the 40 years of Israel’s desert wanderings. It reminds us of Moses’ 40 days on Mt Sinai. When Elijah gets there, will he be like stubborn Israel or faithful Moses? (Cf. Iain W Provan, 1 & 2 Kings, New International Biblical Commentary.)
4. What Stimulates Elijah’s Discouragement
In verses 19:9b-10 as the dust settles, we see Elijah’s problem revealed. And we see what was stimulating the discouragement. It was an incorrect view of the situation, of himself and of God:
He arrives in Horeb. He spends the night in a cave there. The next day God speaks to him. What are you doing here, Elijah?
Well, v10, Elijah’s reply reveals an incorrect view of the situation... All he can see is the rejected covenant, the broken altars and the dead prophets of Yahweh.
Well a lot of bad stuff had happened to God and his people. But discouragement and depression make us one-sided in what we can see. You see, the broken altars and rejected covenant were only half the story...
If we looked back we’d see that many had returned to God through the victory on Mt Carmel. We’d see that the altar was rebuilt. And we’d see that it was the false prophets who’d all been killed. And we know AS ELIJAH KNEW! (18:13) that there were 100 prophets of God hidden by Obadiah in caves. Elijah says ‘I am the only one left’. God will reveal in verse 18 that he has 7,000 other faithful servants in Israel! 7,000! An incorrect view of the situation can stimulate discouragement. And on the other hand, discouragement and depression can blind us to the bigger picture.
Elijah also had an incorrect view of himself. It was too high a view: I’m the only faithful one. Everyone else is wrong! And it was too low a view: Get me out of here, I’m at the mercy of the mad woman Jezebel. God isn’t in control in a nice way! Elijah needed a balanced view of himself: I am God’s servant and my times are in his hands.
In verses 11-14 we see that not only did Elijah have an incorrect view of the situation, and of himself, he also had an incorrect view of God and His ways. This was already implicit in Elijah’s complain about the situation. The subtle message was: I’m doing my bit God – but what about you?! And so finally, after at least 6 weeks of discouragement and depression, God finally speaks to Elijah’s situation:
And God says in verse 11, Go out and stand in the presence of the Lord. God shows Elijah wind, earthquake and fire. In other words, God puts on an awesome display of his power. It’s as if he’s saying, Remember Mt Carmel! Yes – I came in fire and in power! But right now I am not in the fire, the wind and the earthquake! I am in the gentle whisper! Elijah, there’s more to me than fire and power! There is gentleness, whispering – things which are sometimes hard to understand, and quiet and easy to miss.
And now God asks Elijah the same question again, verse 13, What are you doing here, Elijah? But Elijah just answers in the same way he did in verse 10. So finally God just spells it out for Elijah.
In verses15-18, He seems to say: Elijah, You think I’m not at work Elijah but I am. I do have an answer to Israel’s problems of idolatry and its Queen’s blatant rebellion against me. And part and only part of that answer was through a mighty display of my power on Mt Carmel. Elijah, sometimes I work like that, and I use you in that work. But I work in other ways too. You think everything’s gone pear-shaped just because I didn’t do what you expected. But I’m going to work the next part of my plan out through national politics. I want you to anoint Hazael as king of Aram, Jehu as king of Israel, and Elisha to succeed you as prophet. The next part of my plan will be worked out slowly, in this way. I want to use you in this – but not as one who jumps around and calls down fire. No, your job now is to raise up the next generation, make disciples. Prepare the way for others. I want you to take that cloak off your face and set it down on the new generation who will take my plans forward.
A famous Dr once was once asked: “What would you advise a person to do if that person felt a nervous breakdown coming on?" Most people thought he would say, “Go see a psychiatrist immediately,” but he didn’t. Much to everyone’s astonishment, The Dr replied, “Lock up your house, go [and] find somebody in need, and help that person.” To overcome discouragement, “Don’t focus on yourself, get involved in the lives of other people.” *
God deals with Elijah’s discouragement:
He doesn’t call it sin.
He doesn’t preach at Elijah.
He doesn’t make Elijah feel guilty...
He graciously watches over Elijah for 6 weeks.
He lets him get some good rest.
He says get some good food and drink!
He says get into my presence!
He says get to know me better!
He says get involved in my work again!
That reminds us of the way, centuries later, the Risen Lord Jesus comes to Peter. Discouraged, Peter has also walked away. He’s gone back to his old life as a fisherman. On the shores of Galilee early that morning, Jesus comes to Peter and cooks him a good meal. He asks him searching questions. He challenges him to get back ministering to others: Feed my sheep. May we go and do likewise. Amen.
* For full illustrations (at beginning and end of sermon) see “Rx For The Soul - Healing For Depression”, sermon by Jeff Strite, on Sermon Central.
