Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying,
“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 about this time.” (1 Kgs 19:2)
Those words sent Elijah running. When
Queen Jezebel threatened to kill him, Elijah was so fearful that he pleaded for
the Lord to take away his life. How could it be? Elijah had been so strong in
faith—did he not challenge the four-hundred-and-fifty false prophets of Baal
and slaughter them all on Mt Carmel?
However strong he was, Elijah was,
after all, a man. Like him, we are also weak and have our limits. We could be
strong one day but fall into a heap the next. God sees our weaknesses and will
send help. God sent an angel twice and provided Elijah with bread and water.
The second time, the angel urged him to eat and carry on his journey. Likewise,
we must carry on this journey of faith, no matter how hard it may be. As we all
know, the path to heaven is a narrow and difficult one, while the path to
destruction is wide.
As we continue this journey of
faith, we may be like Elijah, looking for God in the wrong places. Elijah
expected God to reveal Himself in a magnificent natural phenomenon like the
wind, earthquake, or fire. But God came in the form of a still small voice (1 Kgs
19:12). When we seek Him with a calm heart, there He will be.
It is easy to develop the “Elijah Syndrome,”
thinking that we are the only ones who are really serving God and that we are
the only ones that are righteous. This is a wrong concept. God replied to Elijah,
“Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not
bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him” (1 Kgs 19:18). So next
time we are feeling lonely when we are serving God, remember that there are
other brothers and sisters who are striving for God too. We are certainly not
alone… there are thousands more whom the Lord has reserved for Himself.
Questions for Reflection:
Do you suffer from the “Elijah
Syndrome”? What can you do to help yourself get over it?
