Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah? He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” The LORD said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel--all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.” 1 Kings 19:13-18 (NIV)
We can all get battle fatigue in fighting the good fight of faith. It can be very lonely and wearisome. And going forth in God’s power can exhaust mere flesh as well – both mentally and physically, Amen? Further, being exhausted can also distort reality. Elijah was not the only prophet left as he had wrongly surmised. God had a remnant of seven thousand who had not bowed their knee to Baal. God always has a remnant. Yet, when we are bone tired weary our thinking can become greatly distorted. And that is exactly what happened to Elijah.
The Prophet Eijah was coming off of a spiritual high. He had just experienced an incredible showdown on Mount Carmel between the prophets of Baal and Asherah and the One true God. He had performed an amazingly great victory for God’s Name which any prophet would have been honored to be a part of. Yet, when Elijah was threatened by Jezebel, the wicked wife of King Ahab, he tucks tail and runs for his life. He sits under a broom tree a day’s journey into the desert and prays to die. Having been physically exhausted performing God’s works through God’s mighty power, his mere flesh was spent and his emotions frayed and he was flat-out done.
Ever felt used up and then get another kick in the stomach? Sometimes it can be hard to even catch our breath. The Prophet Elijah did the right thing by running to God and he was privy to an amazing display of the power of God through the wind, earthquake and fire. God sees us. God always sees us. He knows the intensity of the heat. And His desire for us at all times and particularly when we are spent, to run to Him and cast our cares upon Him for He cares for us. And He will never let the righteous fall.
“Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.” Deuteronomy 33:12 (NIV)