Word of Encouragement (05/30/2024)

But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” (1 Kings 19:4)

We saw how losing sight of God is so damaging. This was true even of Elijah, one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament. Today, let us reflect on God’s gracious and patient response to this servant of his, who was throwing a tantrum.

God sent an angel to provide him with food and rest (v. 5). He sent the angel a second time to do the same to prepare him for a long journey, saying, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you” (v. 7). No word of rebuke for His little faith and complaint. How patient and kind He was to Elijah! What a touching instance of what Isaiah said of God: “...a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench...” (Isa. 42:3). Elijah was a bruised reed and a faintly burning wick. But instead of breaking and quenching him, God revived and restored him.

How incredible it is that God should allow us to complain and bring our grievances to Him! He knows all the good things He decreed for His glory and for our good. He knows that He will not fail to bring them about. He also knows that, when we arrive at our heavenly home and look back, we will give praise and thanksgiving to Him for everything that happened in our loves, including our sufferings and afflictions. We will marvel at the power and wisdom of God, by which He made something good out of every mistake we made and every evil deed we committed.

God also knows how myopic our vision is, not able to see what will happen in one hour, let alone a day or a year. Yet, we judge God according to our nearsighted and narrow perception. We don’t have the patience to wait for His time when God has guaranteed eternal life and joy to His people. It was not that God demanded blind faith from Elijah. As Elijah prayed, God showed that He alone was the only true God and Elijah was His chosen servant. Elijah could not have been ignorant of all the signs and wonders God had performed for Israel throughout its history. His little faith was inexcusable. Isn’t that true of our lack of faith, too? We, too, have experienced God’s faithful provision and, at times, extraordinary deliverance from our troubles. More than that, we have gone through the supernatural event of regeneration and come to know God’s ineffable love in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. How can I doubt God’s love when we consider the cross of Jesus Christ? How can we doubt that He is with us when He came to us first to seek and save us when we were rebels against Him?

Yet, God is compassionate toward us because He knows our weakness. He knows that we are but dust. He deals patiently with us because He wants to lead us to repentance by His kindness (Rom. 2:4). When we feel like Elijah (in varying degrees), let us remember with what gentleness and kindness God had dealt with him. The God of Elijah is our God. Better yet, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is our God and Father (Eph. 1:3). Know that it is God who is speaking to us when we remind ourselves with God’s Word: “Why Are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” (Ps. 42:11).