How God Encourages Us - Part 1. (1 Kings 19: 1-21)

The Bible Project Daily Podcast is a daily, in-depth, encouraging, and uplifting study through the entire Bible,  chapter by chapter, verse by verse. 

Episode Notes: How God Encourages Us - Part 1. (1 Kings 19: 1-21)

Everybody gets discouraged. It doesn’t matter who you are or what season of life you’re in; sooner or later, you hit a moment where the wind goes out of your sails. You feel disheartened. Dispirited. Like someone letting the air out of your emotional balloon. 

So, the question isn’t if that happens, the question is: what do you do when it happens?

 That’s what we’re going to explore today because one of the most famous, powerful, courageous figures in all of Scripture—Elijah—hit a wall of discouragement so hard it nearly crushed him. And the way God dealt with him is incredibly helpful for us all to know…..

Transcript

How God Encourages Us - Part 1. (1 Kings 19: 1-21)

Introduction.

Everybody gets discouraged.

Young people get discouraged; older people get discouraged. Women, men, rich and poor, educated and uneducated, discouragement is a universal human experience.

It doesn’t matter who you are or what season of life you’re in; sooner or later, you hit a moment where the wind goes out of your sails. You feel disheartened. Dispirited. Like someone letting the air out of your emotional balloon

So, the question isn’t if that happens, the question is: what do you do when it happens?

That’s what we’re going to explore today.

Because one of the most famous, powerful, courageous figures in all of Scripture—Elijah—hit a wall of discouragement so hard it nearly crushed him. And the way God dealt with him is incredibly helpful for us all to know…..

Before we dive in, let me give you a simple definition: the English word discourage literally means: “To deprive of courage.”

Isn’t that interesting? Because it’s exactly what we’re about to see in Elijah’s life.

So, let’s turn to 1 Kings 19, where this chapter divides neatly into two parts:

The opening verses deal with Elijah’s state of discouragement, becoming what we would today define as an out-and-out serious depression.

Followed by the way God encourages him again.

So, we begin with the discouragement.

Verse 1:

“Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had executed all the prophets with the sword.”

To understand that it’s helpful to remember the previous chapter, in which Elijah stood on Mount Carmel and challenged the prophets of Baal to a showdown. Fire fell from heaven. The people repented. And according to the Mosaic Law, the false prophets were executed.

Ahab was there, and he saw it all.

And now he goes home to tell his wife, Jezebel, the wickedest woman in the Old Testament, what has happened. Jezebel, the woman who sponsored Baal worship, the woman who fed 850 false prophets at her table.

And Jezebel explodes: Verse 2.

“So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow.”

In other words: “Elijah, you’re a dead man. You have 24 hours to live, then she swears an oath on her gods to make it happen.

And Elijah runs for it. Verse 3: 

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,

Now that is fascinating because this is the same Elijah who just stood alone against 450 prophets and called down fire from heaven. The same Elijah who prayed in faith and ended a three‑year drought. This was at his initiation, watched God raise a boy from the dead, he had seen miracle after miracle after miracle.

And now this threat from this woman sends him running.

It’s almost humorous—if it weren’t so human.

Elijah runs all the way to Beersheba—the southernmost city in Judah.

He gets as far away as he possibly can, and he leaves his servant behind.

That’s significant because it’s the ancient equivalent of turning in your resignation letter.

He’s not just running from Jezebel; he is also running from ministry.

He’s done.

Spurgeon, preaching on this passage, said, “Elijah retreated before a beaten enemy.” And that’s exactly what’s happening.

Verse 4:

“He went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it, and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.

This is the lowest point of Elijah’s life.

He’s in the wilderness—literally.

He’s in the wilderness emotionally, and he’s in the wilderness spiritually as well.

He sits under a bush, a small, scraggly juniper bush that barely gives shade—and he says. “Lord, I’ve had enough, I’m done, just let me die.”

Have you ever said that? “Enough is enough.” “I can’t take any more.” “I’m finished.”

Then Elijah explains why he is so discouraged. “I am no better than my ancestors.”

In other words, he thought what happened on Mount Carmel would change everything. He thought Baal worship would be wiped out and revival would sweep the nation…. But nothing changed.

“I failed,” he says.

Unmet expectations, unanswered hopes, and unresolved battles. That’s the soil where discouragement grows.

So, can a Christian get that low? Can a believer, a real spiritual believer, a mature believer, ever reach the point where they say, “Lord, I’ve had enough”?

Absolutely…. Because Elijah does here…. And you’d be hard‑pressed to find a more spiritual man in the Old Testament. 

God used him mightily. He stood alone on Mount Carmel. He prayed down fire. He prayed for rain. He saw miracles for three and a half years straight…. And now he’s wishing he were dead.

So, let’s settle this debate once and for all:

Christian people can get discouraged, deeply discouraged.

But if you listen to some preaching today, you’d think that if you just trust the Lord enough, everything will be smooth sailing. No problems. No valleys. No dark nights of the soul.

But that’s simply not true.

Just read your Bible.

And it’s not just biblical figures. Some of the greatest Christians in history battled discouragement and depression.

Martin Luther had seasons of deep anxiety and despair.

William Carey, the father of modern missions, was faced with what one biographer called “deep black depressions.”

A.B. Simpson, the founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, was “always susceptible to periods of despair.”

And Charles Haddon Spurgeon, perhaps the greatest Baptist preacher who ever lived, resigned from his church thirty‑two times in thirty‑nine years because of depression and exhaustion.

Spurgeon once wrote:

“There are experiences of the children of God which are full of spiritual darkness… and I am almost persuaded that those who have been most highly favoured have nevertheless suffered more times of darkness than others.”

And then he added:

“No sin is necessarily connected with the sorrow of the heart, for Jesus Himself once said, ‘My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death.’”

If Elijah could feel that, if Spurgeon could feel that, and if Jesus could feel that, then yes, a Christian can get discouraged.

So, what caused Elijah’s collapse, what pushed Elijah over the edge?

Two things stand out.

1. Unmet Expectations

Elijah expected the Mount Carmel event to end Baal worship in the land.

He expected revival.

He expected Jezebel to crumble.

Instead, nothing changed.

Unmet expectations are one of the biggest causes of discouragement.

That’s true in ministry, it can be true in marriage, and it’s true in life.

1.     Hearing a Discouraging Word.

The only other factor in this passage is Jezebel. One sentence from this one person sent Elijah spiralling.

Have you ever been discouraged because of something someone said? Of course you have, I know I had. Sometimes it doesn’t take much. You can be like a balloon, and one tiny pin deflates the whole thing.

That’s Elijah.

“I’m no better than my fathers.” “I failed.” “I’m done.”

This is the bottom of the barrel. When you start praying to die, there’s not much further down to go. This has moved from  discouragement to a deep depression

But then God’s Encouragement Begins.

Now we turn to the second half of the passage—how God encourages His discouraged servant.

Verse 5:

“Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once, an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”

Isn’t that beautiful?

God doesn’t scold him, He doesn’t rebuke him, and God doesn’t say, “Elijah, where’s your faith?” God lets him sleep, and then He sends an angel with food.

Verse 6-7.

He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.”

Two meals. And two naps.

No lectures, just rest and nourishment.

God ministers to Elijah physically before He ministers to him spiritually. Because sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap and have a meal.

Verse 8-9

So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he travelled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night.

This cave is in the same place where Moses met God, the place of covenant, the place of revelation.

Elijah is headed there now. And by the way, that journey should have taken fourteen days…. It takes him forty.

That’s how discouraged he was, he has wandered there aimlessly.

But God was patient, gentle, and leading him to the exact place where He would speak to him again.

And yet, even in his discouragement, God is gently doing something very practical.

Let’s pause and notice what God has done so far:

He let Elijah sleep.

He gave him food.

He gave him water.

And then He sent him on a long walk.

Isn’t that interesting?

This is the initial part of God’s treatment plan for discouragement.

So, what’s He doing? 

He’s tending to Elijah’s physical needs, and maybe, that’s where encouragement should begin for us, too.

Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is:

Get some sleep, eat a good meal, drink some water, and take a walk.

We forget how connected the body and soul are. Proverbs tell us repeatedly that what affects one affects the other. Physical exhaustion can fuel emotional collapse. Emotional strain can drain physical strength.

So, before we get too deep into the spiritual side of discouragement, God reminds us to take care of ourselves.

Some of us needed that reminder today.

Are you sleeping enough?

Are you eating well?

Are you exercising?

I can sense some of you squirming in your seats. But remember—when I point one finger at you, I’ve got three pointing back at me.

I used to jog 5 to 10 miles at a time. And during one of the most stressful seasons of life, that simple act of running regularly kept me sane. I can’t jog like that anymore, but I  do try to jog a little when my arthritis lets me, and if not, walk everywhere as much as possible when I can’t run. And the research now says—even a 30‑minute walk can make a world of difference.

So yes—God begins His encouragement of Elijah with rest, food, and movement.

OK, into the cave we go. Verse 9:

There he went into a cave and spent the night. The Lord Appears to Elijah and the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

That’s a powerful question. “What are you doing here?” Not just geographically—spiritually.

“How did you get to this place?

Why are you hiding?

Why are you running?

Why are you alone?”

And remember—Elijah is now standing at the very place where Moses once stood. Many scholars believe this cave may be the exact cave where Moses saw the glory of God pass by in Exodus 33…. Elijah is literally standing in the shadow of one of the greatest revelations in the Bible, and God asks him, “What are you doing here?”

Elijah gives an honest answer

Verse 10:

“I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn 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.”

In other words, nobody has gone through what I’ve gone through, and nobody is faithful; I’m the only one left.”

Have you ever felt that way?

Of course you have.

Discouragement has a way of shrinking your world until all you can see is the dark side. Elijah can’t see the miracles anymore. He can’t see God’s provision. He can’t see the victories. He can’t see the 100 prophets Obadiah hid. He can’t see the 7,000 faithful believers God is about to mention.

He only sees the threat, he only feels the fear, and he only sees himself…. alone.

That is because depression distorts reality.

In verse 11, God speaks.

“Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

But Elijah only makes it to the mouth of the cave. He can’t bring himself to step fully out. 

Then God puts on a display.

A wind so strong it shatters rocks, an earthquake, and a fire. But the Lord is not in any of those.

Then—verse 12:

After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

A whisper, gentle stillness, and a quiet presence.

God is saying, “Elijah, I worked dramatically on Mount Carmel but I don’t always work that way. Sometimes I work in the quiet. Sometimes I speak in with a still small voice.”

And that’s important for discouraged people.

Because when you’re discouraged, you don’t necessarily need to see the fireworks.

You don’t need earthquakes.

You don’t need windstorms.

You need a gentle assurance that God is still there.

Elijah then repeats himself.

He hears the whisper, steps to the cave entrance—and repeats the same speech:

 “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn 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.”.................. to be continued.