ELIJAH: The Exhausted Prophet

THE WEARY WARRIOR

Of all the prophets in the Bible, outside of Jeremiah, Elijah is the one I most relate to. Elijah faced many giants; perhaps none devastated him as the giant of fatigue and loneliness. He used every ounce of strength in his work for the Lord. Following his infamous fire-and-brimstone actions with the worshipers of Baal, he fled to the wilderness, where he collapsed in utter exhaustion and discouragement - asking the Lord to take his life.

Why did he flee to the wilderness? What was he fleeing from?

While Elijah was willing to face the king, all his Baal worshippers, and Baal himself, it was Queen Jezebel he fled - fearing her repetitive habit of slaughtering the prophets of God. He was certain and feared she was out to take his life, and he thought that he was the only one left in Israel who had not bowed down to her and her false god. In irony, once arriving at a cave, he asked God to do what Jezebel hoped to do - take his life (1 Kings 19).

By the time Elijah settled into the cave, God spoke What are you doing here, Elijah?

What were the consequences of Elijah’s retreat?

Before being chased out of the cave by the Lord, God told him to anoint Elisha to replace him.

Retreating from ministry is not only cowardly; it is an admission of not trusting the Lord in all things. However, this is not the end of Elijah’s career; as most know, he comes back as one of the two prophets during the reign of the Antichrist.

Some of the greatest prophets in history suffered from the Elijah demise, where despair overcame to the point of retreat. Remember when Jeremiah cursed the day of his own birth (Jer. 20:14)? And then there is Job when he too lamented over ever being born (Job 3). Even Paul despaired of life while under great pressure that was beyond his ability to endure to the end (2 Cor. 1:8). It happens to the best of them - us.

God gives us plenty of stories of “great” prophets ultimately tampering with moments of despair, the type of despair that tempts us to leave the Lord’s ministry in the dust. The fact is prophets think broadly, feel deeply, and have the type of compassion that grieves when listeners cast their warnings aside and continue to worship the idol that enhances self-life. I know the phrase it is lonely at the top, but I say it is lonelier at the bottom. The bottom is the least among the brethren.

That’s the thing about being a prophet; to be the greatest among God’s prophets, one has to adhere to being in the least. As the passage says:

But many who are first will be last, and the last first. (Matthew 19:30)

Elijah is a classic example of this. Few prophets were beaten down more than Elijah. He was, by the standards of his era, the least among his brethren, even though he performed some of God’s greatest miracles. In the end, being one of the two prophets brought back by the Lord, he leaves a legacy of being one of the Jew’s most honored prophets in Jewish history.

It is not in my flesh to be in last place! My flesh always strives to be in the first place. When walking in and through the Spirit, I not only enjoy being the least among brethren, but I am well aware of the rewards in the end if I humbly remain last. My weakness is in visiting despair too frequently. What keeps me alert is I know that God views his mission in such a way that He is quick to replace prophets once they settle into a retreat. He is compelled to keep to the timeline of eternity in spite of weakening prophets.

Believer - there will be times when you are tempted to retreat into the cave of despair, and some of you will have a particular proclivity to remain there. But as indwelt believers, we must remind ourselves that our hope is in His indwelling presence within our soul (2 Cor. 4:16-18). He, Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, is always with us, fighting for us, defending His ministry within us.

Truthfully, the situation of being beaten down is never as grim as it appears. Elijah’s perspective had been shaken by his exhaustion: he believed he was all alone in his misery. Yet, in his demise, God gave him a compassionate break from ministry only to revitalize him for a more significant work soon to come.

No matter our perception, there are others God has placed around you, faithful workers, to hold up the banner of His mission when you, we, are too weak to march forward. After a little rest, resetting our mind on the indwelling Life, to our amazement, another burst of Holy Spirit energy launches us back into the battlefield of victory. Be of great courage!