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How To Keep From Cracking In The Crisis – Part 2
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1 Kings 17-19 gives us the record of the unusual and outstanding prophet of Jehovah – “Elijah”. In chapter 18 Elijah had just recently come out of hiding by the direction and protection of the LORD God during the 3 years of famine. He had faced and confronted the wicked King Ahab charging him with forsaking Jehovah’s commandments and following Baal leading Israel in the same. He then challenged and faced the prophets of Baal to a showdown. The LORD God gave him one of the greatest public victories in Scripture over the false god Baal and Baal’s followers. The hundreds of false preachers and priests were slain. This whole strenuous ordeal had taken place over a tense 2-3 days.
Then according to the will of the LORD in view of the repentance and revival among His people, Elijah prayed fervently for rain. (James 5:16-18) God answered and sent a great rain. Elijah with the hand of the LORD upon him ran before Ahab’s chariot for the 25 miles from Mt. Carmel to Jezreel.
After that, “Ahab-the human toad that squatted on the throne of Israel” pouted to “Queen-painted up like a viper-Jezebel” about what Elijah had done to all the prophets of Baal. She sent a messenger to Elijah that she would have him assassinated just as he had finished off Baal’s prophets. In Elijah’s mind there were several “hit men” after him (19:10 “they seek my life”). He then takes off to Beersheba, another 75 miles. He leaves his servant there and goes another day’s journey (15 to 20 miles) in the wilderness.
All of this back-story is necessary to show how stressed and exhausted the preacher was. For his next recorded words are a request of death at the hand of the LORD Himself. (19:4) He is discouraged to the place of despair. He is worn out and sees no future other than a quick merciful death opening to eternity in Heaven away from this “world of woe”! Dr. Blaine Myron Cedarholm reminded us preacher boys, “Never make a decision when you are discouraged!” He knew it would always be coloured with negative and confused reasoning and emotion.
Thirty years ago, Pastor Gordon gave us Bible College students five thinking errors in which some may have been true for Elijah and maybe for us. #1 – Overgeneralizations – One Instance Makes Everything Bad. #2 – The Negative Mental Filter – One Sees All The Bad and Not The Blessings. #3 – All Or Nothing – “I Must Do Great Everywhere Or No Where!” #4 – The Binocular Effect - See All The Good Things Of God with Binoculars Backwards & Bad Things with Binoculars Frontwards. #5 - Personalization - “Everything Is My Fault That Goes Wrong”. Now these “thinking errors” are the fruit of particular root causes!
One can cut the fruit down saying, “I’ll just not think that way anymore” and for a while we don’t think in error until we are faced with a similar situation again. Here are some of the main causes: A) FEAR B) UNBELIEF C) LUST D) GREED E) PRIDE. Elijah was not guilty of all these but certainly the first two and maybe some of the last one. Where there is fear there is an absence of faith. To please the LORD we must believe Him – read Hebrews 11:6 & see 1 John 4:18 too. To doubt God’s love; that is, to think His love toward us has changed because of our “poor performance or shameful reaction” is error. The reality is the Father’s love is constant because we, the saved, are fully accepted in Jesus Christ.
Notice the Truths of which the LORD God reminded Elijah. In God’s wisdom they were designed to get him right again inside and out. HE REMINDED Elijah that:
I. JEHOVAH STILL PROVIDES 19:4-8 Jehovah fed Elijah now as He had before (See chapter 17) Are you discouraged or in despair, then remember God always provides for His Childrens’ needs – spiritually and physically. Don’t doubt His watchcare, His Love, His Provision! He still provides!
II. GOD IS STILL POWERFUL 19:11-12a. Here Jesus Jehovah Christ reminds Elijah that He IS still the Creator God (Colossians 1:16, John 1:3); and that He generates and controls the rock shattering wind (hurricane force). He also is the author of earthquakes; I.E. He regulates the tranquility or disturbance of the whole planet. The fire is to recall the showdown and victory over Baal. God can create, generate, destroy, control everything and anything necessary to accomplish His own will and take care of His preachers and people! “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for the me?” Jeremiah 32:27 What are you facing that cannot be resolved by any human device, or scheme or power? .. but can only be addressed by the LORD in His wisdom and power? Jeremiah 33:3 must be read!
III. The LORD Is Still PRESENT – 19:12b-14 “a still small voice”. Notice, even after all that, Elijah answers the same as in v.10. See the insight in v.8 – I.E. it took Elijah 40 days and nights to travel 200 miles. He averaged only 5 miles a day rather than the normal at least 12 or up to 20 miles a day. (Why our Lord Jesus traveled 60 miles in about 3 days to get the Heavenly Authorized baptism from John the Baptist rather than the bogus baptisms present in those days! ) For it to take Elijah that long (even taking into account the rougher terrain) Dr. Hartman remarks, “Elijah must have been in utter despair”. This at least shows that you can’t just flip a switch on a person and have them go from despair to total optimistic enthusiasm in a moment.
There is one other truth that is the step to bringing it all together. It is the fourth truth.How do you keep from cracking in the crisis? F.B.Meyer said, “Thank the LORD that He does not judge us according to our moods and emotions.” In these first 3 truths The LORD Jesus is reminding Elijah that He does not love Him any less but has the same attitude toward him, that of His never changing love. Elijah sees this, in that, God is still providing, and still powerful, and still present. However, Elijah is a bit bruised in heart because he does feel like he let His Saviour down. In a way, he did, but at least now he knows afresh his God is still the same. He now needs to trust all these truths personally and embrace them by faith and regain his confidence in the LORD – Proverbs 3;26! And no surprise God knows just what to do to bring that about and complete Elijah’s therapy! What would that be? Answer: Get back to work!
IV. The LORD Still Has A Plan – 19:15-19 Elijah needed to get busy again for JESUS! Whether he felt a whole lot better or just a little better – he now needed to quit “looking in” and start “looking out” to the needs of others ; and “looking after” his ministry again! Someone has said, “Beware, you can introspect too much that you lose sight.” So God gave Elijah his plan, a new list of ministry duties. He had the recovery time of “physical and spiritual therapy” food, drink, sleep, and Words of reassurance from the LORD. Even though there was still a weak complaint on the lips of Elijah, the Lord said, “Get busy”. God knew what answer Elijah needed, “Get back to work and by the way there are 7,000 others that are still faithful to me.” Enough said – now get moving, Elijah! …. by faith!
If the LORD’s “therapy and medicine” worked for the great man of God, Elijah, why can’t it work for you and me? It will if we take the medicine. It will keep us from completely “cracking in the crisis!”