Finding God in a Crisis
1. When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal.
2. So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah saying, “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you have killed them.”
3. Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there.
8. So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God.
12. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.
13. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
1 Kings 19:1-3, 8, 12-13
Facing Your Monster?
The Psalmist cried out to God in desperation, “O that I had wings as a dove, then would I fly away and be at rest.” Psalm 55:6. The reply from the Almighty is simply, “I did not give you wings, but I gave you Grace.” We make the same plea each time we try to escape some problem or emergency in our lives. It is our nature to attempt to escape and flee to safety from the cares and troubles of this world. The response from God is the same. “You don’t have wings, but you do have Me.”
Elijah now faced the fact that Jezebel was out to kill him. It is very interesting that this powerful prophet (or so we would think), was now weakened to the point that he chooses to run away rather than face the wrath of this wicked woman. She had a reputation for killing God’s prophets and anyone who did not follow her idolatry. Elijah was just her latest target. This mighty man of faith is now asking for ‘wings to fly away.’ He stood against the king and proclaimed the Word of the Lord. He stood against five hundred false prophets and proclaimed, “If Baal is god worship him, but if Yahweh is God then worship Him.” He stood boldly announcing that it would not rain for three and a half years and it did not rain. Then he stood and announced the sound of rain, and the rain came down with a mighty force. But when Jezebel spoke, Elijah ran. What a strange turn of events. Elijah wanted to fly away and be at rest because he was facing a monster.
Why does God allow such things? The Lord knows how much we love Him and that we are dedicated to His work, so why does He allow us to struggle with monsters in our lives? The great English preacher of the late 1800s, Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote, “If God should continually rock us in the cradle of prosperity, we would become intoxicated with pleasure.” He concluded that God sends fiery trials to remind us of our need for Him. Bread in abundance does not nourish the soul; God and God alone is our Sustainer and Provider.
Now we are seeing a side of Elijah that we have not seen before. We are witnessing the fact that the prophet is human like us. The Apostle James noted this fact in his closing reminders on the power of prayer. In his assessment, he wrote that Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed. (James 5:17). If Elijah had a monster named Jezebel, you had better admit that you have one also. It may have a different name, size, and model, but it is the monster that reminds you that you need God. The only way to deal with that ‘bad boy’ is to admit that it is a problem. The interesting thing about monsters is that we know we have them but we don’t want anyone else to know that we have them. Please note that in his running away through his religious escape hatch, Elijah left his servant. That’s strange! If you have a monster, you might want to keep some company to help you fight it, right? That’s not really how we operate. We like to keep monsters private so we don’t expose our weakness.
Yet God allowed Elijah to go through this ordeal for a reason. As it is noted, there are several things that Elijah does that can help us in our crisis moment. Rather than panic and run away, God will give us “standing ground.” So let’s deal with the monsters and the crisis.
Discovery Mode
God used Elijah’s escape plan to reshape the prophet’s approach to ministry. Ministry is not about demonstrating human strength, but revealing the strength that God provides. At this point in his life, Elijah was exhausted. The Scripture shows him back in Judah, near the town of Beersheba, and fast asleep under a juniper tree. How’s that for a mighty prophet? He is literally out of place and out of energy. He can’t go on. Not only can he not go on, Elijah prays, “take away my life, I have had enough.” 1 Kings 19:4. That is deep depression.
Did you ever wake up some days only to find yourself wearing shoes with lead weights holding you down? You want to do but you can’t because you are tired. You think you are in a safe place but you have run as far as human energy will take you. Like Elijah, you try to find some shade from those who are throwing shade. Yet in your weakest moment, you come to realize how gracious and merciful our God is. He knows we can’t go on so God provides strength. The first thing Elijah discovered was the strength He needed had to come from God. The Angel of the Lord prepared him hot meals. Granted, these meals were not the permanent solution, but in the words of the text, “it was enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights.” Discovering God in a crisis is not an event, it is a process.
This brings us to the second area of discovery of finding God’s path. God did not want Elijah on the run for the rest of his life. The same is true for us, we can’t keep running away each time we have a crisis. We must allow God to prepare the path for us. Elijah was directed to take his journey to Mount Horeb or Sinai. Yes, that’s the place where God spoke to Moses and gave him the Ten Commandments. So he (Elijah) got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. Not all roads lead to fellowship with God. Not all paths lead us out of our crisis. You must take God’s right path by being serious about your relationship with God. There are many who don’t know the right path because they have never allowed God to teach them through the Word of God. The only thing these “emergency worshippers” will do is to seek God enough to get out of trouble. They will, in the long run, become malnourished in their soul. You can’t depend on an every now and then spiritual booster to get you to God’s path. Your favorite Gospel song does not have enough energy. You need the Word to give you that power. Elijah was on the right path to an even closer walk with God.
The third discovery was Discovering the safe place. Please understand that discovering God’s safe place is not a permanent place. Moses found the safe place when He asked God to show him the Glory of God. It was not permanent but it was fulfilling. David asked for a safe place and found that God was his hiding place. It wasn’t permanent but it was secure. Daniel found the safe place as he opened his window toward Jerusalem and prayed to God. Jesus, our Lord, found that safe place in the Garden of Gethsemane.
When Elijah arrived at his safe place, Mount Sinai (Horeb), God asked him what was he doing there? That alone meant that his refuge was only for a short time. We understand this truth about safe places, they are for rest and restoration but not for victory. If the monster is going to be conquered, that must happen on the battlefield and in the place where crisis meets truth.
This brings us to the fourth area of discovery when Elijah discovered the True Voice of God. It was noted that God sent several things ahead of His actual presence. There was a great wind, but the Lord was not in the wind. There came next a great earthquake. Surely that was God, but God was not in the earthquake. Following the earthquake, there was a fire that set the Mount ablaze; but God was not in the fire. What was that all about? Some Saints have the uncanny knack for trying to point to God in everything. They find a convenient parking space next to the building and they say “that’s God.” No, that’s a free parking space. We should not do that because of two things. One it sets up false expectations. Second, it keeps you from growth opportunities in times of challenges. Yes, God allows good things to come your way as rewards, but He also sends challenges to help you grow in His Grace and Power. Take some advice and stop calling everything that looks good “a blessing” and thing that look challenging evil. You will only discover the true Voice of God by allowing the Holy Spirit to instruct and guide you. That still small voice still speaks today. Romans 8:28 reminds us that God can take even the bad things and work them out for our good and His glory.
This brings us to the fifth area of discovery. We must discover that God gives us the help we need. Discovering help from God means we are not left to face our monster alone. For most of his ministry, Elijah felt that he was the only prophet left. God reminded him that there were 7,000 worshippers who had not bowed to Baal. What an insight! Then God sent Elijah back to the place he was running from with an assignment. God said, “Anoint Jehu to be king in Israel, anoint Hazael as king of Syria, and anoint Elisha to be prophet in your office.” Wait, what? This was the help that Elijah needed. One of the needs was for him to train another prophet. When we discover help from God, it is our mission to prepare others for service. The mission did not start with us and does not end with us. We must help others to discover the Power of God.
This is what we take away from this discovery process and dealing with the monsters in our life. First, don’t try to face the monster alone, receive the help God sends. Second, in a time of crisis, you must know where to find true strength for your journey. Quick fixes may give an emotional charge, but they will not defeat the monster or end the crisis. Lastly, when you discover God in your life, you have already made it through the crisis. If God be for you and with you – He is more than the world against you. Go with God today.