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Sometimes life gets heavy. It feels like the weight of the world is weighing you down. Difficulties and challenges build up and accumulate, and discouragement sets in.

What do you do when you get discouraged? Discouragement can lead to depression. It comes from seeing the circumstances as overwhelming, they’re more than you can handle. When it seems your problems are larger than you.

The more important question, however, is, what does God do? The life lessons from this story can apply directly to your life if you are feeling weighted down and discouraged. If that is not your situation now, these life lessons are important to remember for the future. Everyone will go through great challenges and difficulties in life.

Elijah has come to the lowest point of his life. Here, he’s without a compass. He’s lost his bearing. He’s faltering. He is running without instruction. He’s downhearted and discouraged.

Elijah had just come from the highest point of victory just before he reached this lowest low. If you come to the point where you reach your lowest low, please know that God never fails. His grace is more than enough.

Elijah was living in spiritually dark times and there was much spiritual warfare. The northern kingdom of Israel was led by the worst king Israel had ever known, King Ahab. Not only did he walk in the sins of his fathers, but he also married that wicked woman Jezebel. He led the nation to follow the false gods of Baal and Ashtoreth and to turn their back on Jehovah, the God of Israel. In other words, the nation was falling apart; the world was falling apart it seemed.

God called Elijah to be a prophet. It’s no easy task being a prophet of God in a time when the nation was turning their back on God and following the gods of the world.

They trusted in Baal the god of fertility and rain, so Elijah declared there would be no rain in Israel until he gave the word. God meant for Israel to be a land of blessing; flowing with milk and honey, but God also said that if their hearts turned hard, so would the land.

At the end of 3 1/2 years of no rain, with Israel suffering a devastating drought, Elijah confronted Ahab and directed him to bring 450 prophets of Baal to Mt. Carmel and to gather all the people of Israel there as well.

When all the people assembled, Elijah declared, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If Jehovah is God, then follow Him; if Baal be God, then follow him.” Elijah then challenged the prophets of Baal to call upon Baal to answer by fire and consume the sacrifice there on that mountain and that whichever God answered by fire, he is God. Only Jehovah answered by fire that day, so Elijah commanded that the 450 prophets of Baal be seized and were slain there at the brook Kishon.

When Jezebel heard what happened on Carmel, she answered with some wrath of her own. She sent a messenger to tell Elijah he would be killed the next day. That was when Elijah hit his lowest low. He ran for his life. As I mentioned last week, Elijah had no reason to run. Jezebel was the one who had reason to be afraid. So she thought to intimidate him, to contain him. And it worked.

Alone in the desert he prayed that God would take his life. He had had enough. He couldn’t take anymore. He was burned out, tired, intimidated, discouraged, and depressed.

God’s response to Elijah is a life lesson unto itself. God answered with compassion. Instead of rebuking Elijah, he fulfilled 2 Corinthians 7:6, "God comforts the depressed.” He ministered to Elijah. He let him sleep and eat.

After comforting and strengthening Elijah it was time to instruct him. God doesn’t just comfort you through a dark or difficult time, He doesn’t just walk with you, He wants to teach you through it. The message and instruction God had for Elijah was a message filled with instruction for us.


Pastor Rich Jones
Pastor Matthew Dodd
Rich Jones Calvary Chapel
Calvary Chapel Worship Center
Calvary Chapel Hillsboro
Calvary Chapel Oregon
Calvary Chapel Beaverton
Calvary Chapel Portland

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