The Depths Of Despair

I want to get us started with our message this morning by sharing an illustration that I’ve used on numerous occasions: Back when I was in college, I used to go cave exploring with a friend as often as possible. Sometimes we went about twice a week. Well, one evening we followed a lead for a new cave that we had heard about, one that was in the top of a ridge and was supposed to be really big. Now, let me tell you, that when someone says a cave is really large, it’s probably not going to be any bigger than a groundhog hole.

So, after about an hour of walking up and down some really big ridges in Casey County, Kentucky, we finally saw a small hole at the top of a knob. When we arrived at the entrance, we got down on our hands and knees; and when we had crawled in about five feet, we started smelling something really bad. We then crawled a little further, and soon discovered the source of the smell, which just happened to be an old dead, decomposing dog.

Let me tell you, there is nothing worse than the stench of death. So, what does God have to say about the times that we smell the stench of death in our spiritual lives; when we enter the cave of despair and hopelessness? I’ve entitled our message this morning, “The Depths of Despair,” and I’m going to be sharing some biblical passages that speak about the cave of despair. We are going to look at how people tend to act when they find themselves in such a dark place; and we’re also going to see what we need to do, in order for God to deliver us into a place of hope and life.

You Cannot Hide from the Lord (1 Kings 19:9-10)

9And 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.”

The dark cave that Elijah entered into was the cave of fear and self-pity. The Lord had just given Elijah a great victory by displaying His power over the prophets of Baal when He sent down fire from heaven to devour a sacrifice that was doused with many pots of water. The Lord had also allowed Elijah to capture and execute all the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:20-40). Because of this great display of God’s power, Elijah should have realized that the Lord would protect him no matter what, but Queen Jezebel had threatened to kill him and so he fled in fear (19:2-3).

Now, the way that Elijah acted is how we can sometimes act. The Lord can place a calling on our lives to serve Him. He can show us many signs to confirm that calling and His presence with us, and we can face many challenges bravely; but then, there will be something to come along that will unnerve us, and cause us to feel like we just can’t go on. For example, someone might criticize us and mock us; and when something like this happens, we might feel defeated and try to run away from God. Like Elijah, we might even come up with the excuse that no one really cares about the Lord or wants to hear about Him.

For Elijah, the cave of despair that he entered into was not just spiritual, it was literal. He really did hide from God in a cave. Now, in my own life I experienced something similar to this, which actually led me to picking up the sport of cave exploring or spelunking. Allow me to explain:

So, the Lord called me into ministry when I was a freshman attending Eastern Kentucky University. But when I transferred to a Christian college – Campbellsville University – I saw so many students being used by the Lord to do such amazing things, that I felt incompetent and became discouraged. God wasn’t using me like He was using them. So, in order to drown out my feelings, I preoccupied myself with caving. To me, caves seemed like the perfect place to get away from everything; and so, I guess you could say that I too tried to hide from God in a cave.

Now, the cave of despair won’t be literal for everyone, but when we run from the Lord we can feel as though we are in a deep, cold pit, surrounded by darkness. Maybe you feel like you are in a place of despair right now, and you’re running from the Lord as Elijah did; but God will pursue you when you run. In Psalm 139:7, David asked, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?”