UN/Broken - Day 24

It took real courage for Elijah to go to Israel’s king and declare that there would be no dew nor rain for the next few years. Kings did not tend to accept lousy news well in those days. The phrase “shoot the messenger” comes to mind. But Elijah was faithful to his calling and delivered God's message to Israel’s king.

Then God miraculously provides for Elijah by sending food by ravens until the brook he is camping by dries up. At that point, God directs Elijah to a widow in the community of Zarephath. Elijah shows up when this widow is one handful of flour away from starvation. Elijah assures this woman that her flour and oil will only run out once the famine ends. Still, he commands her to make him something to eat first with the little she has left, which she does, and sure enough, God comes through and supplies sufficient for Elijah, this woman, and her son until the famine is over.  

It must have been quite an experience for Elijah to see God's miraculous power revealed through ravens dropping off food and jars of flour and oil refusing to empty. But this pales in comparison to what God did on Mt. Carmel. On that mount, Elijah stood alone against the 450 prophets of Baal. He watched as God worked a mighty miracle to bring fire down from Heaven to consume not just the sacrifice but the stones of the altar and even the water in the trench around the altar! Talk about a rush! Wow! To stand alone like that and come out entirely on top through the mighty power of God must have been a true high.

But then Jezebel threatens to destroy Elijah, and he completely loses his trust in God, runs for his life into the desert and becomes so depressed that he asks God to end his life! Let me remind you that emotional lows often come after massive highs. It’s how our bodies find equilibrium. It’s common to experience depressed mood after the excitement of moving into a new home, securing a new job or bringing home a baby from the hospital. So, let’s not be too hard on Elijah, and let’s not be too hard on ourselves when we hit an emotional low that comes on the heels of something grand. It’s just part of life! And note that God was very patient with Elijah at his low point. God understood what Elijah was going through, and this can give us hope that God will know what we are going through when we hit the emotional skids.

Discussion Questions:

1. Talk about times when something very positive came your way (significant promotion, new home, birth of a child, etc.). What was it like to experience those positive events?  What were some of the emotions bubbling up during those experiences?
2. During any of the experiences you listed above, did you experience an emotional letdown or crash afterward? If so, what was that like?
3. Talk about a time when you did something impulsive that was driven by fear. How did that work out for you? Looking back, what could you have done differently?