"What To Do When Your Faith Becomes Blah!"

“What To Do When Your Faith Becomes Blah”

1 Kings Chapter 19

INTRODUCTION: I’ve intended to preach this sermon once a year. Since 1995, I’ve only preached it twice … each time a little different. BUT … it’s a message that ought to be preached every year.

Do you ever get to the point when your faith becomes “BLAH”? When it seems like your faith is DEAD … or DYING … or just SICK? It seems like God has forsaken you … OR … you have forsaken Him. You’re lonely … God seems so far away.

When this happens, you need REVIVAL. Not just a Revival SERVICE … an evangelist … a sermon … some more preaching. What we need is our own PERSONAL REVIVAL.

Sometimes we get the “Spiritual Blahs” … AMEN? It seems like nobody cares … like even God doesn’t care. It seems like everything’s going WRONG in our life. It seems like our faith … our Christianity … just isn’t working for us. Does anybody but ME ever feel this way? … Do I have a witness?

That’s the way Elijah, that great Prophet of God, felt. I think EVERYBODY has felt this way at one time or another. Maybe that’s how you’re feeling this morning. It usually doesn’t last very long. It’s not permanent (or shouldn’t be). There IS hope. BUT … you have this empty feeling inside … something’s missing in your life. You’re not sure what to do about it.

As a CHRISTIAN, we have a wonderful promise from God. Hebrews 13:5 – “I will never leave nor forsake you.” The ENGLISH translation doesn’t do this verse justice. “never” = a double negative = “never, no never”. “nor” = a triple negative = “never, no never, no never”.

Elijah was HUMAN, just like you & me. James 5:17 – “Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are.” Elijah had the “Spiritual Blahs”! Let’s take a look at what he had … AND … what God did about it.

1.- SYMPTOM #1 – Elijah Was Fatigued, Tired – 19:1

When we’re tired, we’re more prone to discouragement. Our resistance is low. Satan takes advantage of that.

“all that Elijah had done”. Elijah had just come from a number of “Mountain Top Experiences”. He had witnessed the mighty power of God first-hand:

• God fed him during a drought by having the ravens feed him.

• He saw God do a miracle at the widow’s house by providing a pot of flour & oil that wouldn’t run out.

• He prayed to God, and God brought the Widow’s Son back to life.

• He challenged the prophets of Baal, and saw God bring down fire from Heaven.

Elijah must have been feeling pretty good about himself … AND … about God. After the people slew all the prophets of Baal, Elijah ran back to Jezreel, to the palace of Jezebel, the wicked Queen. I think that he thought the people had killed her too. BUT … when he got there, he found Jezebel alive … as wicked & evil as ever … AND … as mad as fire! 19:2-3

What did Elijah do? He ran for his life! He didn’t ask God what to do … he didn’t pray about it … he just ran! I think ALL of us have just felt like running away from it all. That’s how Elijah felt … that’s what he did.

PRESCRIPTION #1 – God Provided For Him – 19:5-8

Elijah needed REST … and FOOD. Have you ever noticed that when you get the “Spiritual Blahs” … are DISCOURAGED or DEPRESSED … THAT … you can’t sleep … lose your appetite? God provided the juniper tree. God allowed him to sleep and get the rest he needed. God fed him … TWICE … by sending an angel to cook for him.

Isn’t God GOOD? God provided WHAT he needed … WHEN he needed it. There’s a LESSON in here for us. AND … it’s so simple. SOMETIMES … the REASON we get discouraged, depressed and beside ourselves … is because we need REST. Our plates are too full … our lives are too complicated … we’ve taken on too much … AND … we just need to go aside for awhile, and get some REST.

2.- SYMPTOM #2 – Elijah Was Lonely – 19:3 – “left his servant there”

What do you do when you’re discouraged? You crawl into a shell. You isolate yourself. You want to be alone in your misery.

What do you need more than anything else? A friend! Discouraged people are lonely people. Everybody needs a friend who can give them a transfusion of encouragement … a ray of hope … some love and understanding. The WORST thing we can do is to push our friends away. You’ve got friends … that’s what they’re there for. You would be there for them … WOULDN’T YOU? Don’t forsake your friends. This servant had been there for Elijah through thick and thin. NOW .. Elijah heads out on his own.