“Strength for the Journey”                        2009

1 Kings 19:1-8               Matthew 7:7-11

 

1 kin 19:1-8 Elijah Flees from Jezebel

19Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, ‘So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.’ 3Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there.

4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: ‘It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.’ 5Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, ‘Get up and eat.’ 6He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. 7The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, ‘Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.’ 8He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.

 

mat 7:7-11            Ask, Search, Knock

7 'Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 8For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 9Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? 10Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? 11If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

 

From my perspective, as a little boy growing up

            during the Mercury and Apollo space programs of the 1960's,

                        there were no greater heroes than the astronauts,

                             especially the brave men who first set foot on the moon.

 

In his book, "Return to Earth", astronaut and hero Buzz Aldrin

            describes how his whole life, his highest dreams and efforts

                 were all-out focused  on being the first to walk on the moon.

 

Then when he and the other astronauts got back from the moon,

            they received the world’s acclaim all during a year-long tour

                  that left them physically exhausted and emotionally spent.

            Then after that exciting year, as things slowed down a bit,

                  Buzz Aldrin fell into a deep & dark  destructive depression.

 

More than just exhaustion after all the excitement and adventure,

            having already achieved his highest goal in life,

                        what possible achievement would ever matter after that?

 

A part of our human condition is that we do experience

            emotional highs and lows, and have spiritual ups and downs.

After the elation of victory  we may feel discouraged or a bit lost.

            After a mountaintop experience  we may descend into a valley.

Like Buzz Aldrin's successful walk on the moon,

            Elijah had won an incredible victory with God,  and for God.

In 1^st Kings 18, it describes a mountaintop contest            

            staged between the God of Israel and the Canaanite god Baal.

           

King Ahab’s 450 priests of Baal prepared an alter for their god,

            and to win the contest, they had to get their god to light it.

The priests of Baal screamed and danced all day long,

            they cut themselves with knives and bled on it,

                        but still they couldn't get Ball to light their alter.

 

Then Elijah made an alter of stone, drenched it, filling a ditch with water.

            He prayed, and immediately God sent fire from heaven,

                        which consumed the whole sacrifice and alter,

                                    even lapping up all of the rocks, wood and water.

 

It was a stunning victory and amazing demonstration of God’s power.

            So surely after such an impressive and victorious event,

                        Elijah would from then on         be a spiritual superstar

                         and truly a man of God   never to have another weak moment.

 

But when King Ahab told his queen, Jezebel,

            that they had 450 funerals to plan for their priests of Baal;

                  she send a messenger to Elijah, promising and threatening,

                        that by the next day, his would be funeral number 451 …

                                        …  and quaking with fear, the prophet sprinted away.

 

vs. 3-4

            And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, and left his servant there.   But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, "It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers."

 

What in the world is going on with Elijah descent into fear?

            What is this abrupt thud   coming down from the mountain top?

 

Sometimes after the excitement, the rush of adrenaline & success,

            needing a calm place of rest, we can become quite vulnerable,

  … so Jezebel’s death threat puts Elijah into a spiritual tailspin.

 

But I think that it was more than just his exhaustion

      that left Elijah so fearful and vulnerable to Jezebel's threat.

 

The text says nothing about Elijah praying after his victory,

            or at least not until he’s reached the end of his rope,

                        and even then,    he is only begging God   to take his life.

-  Perhaps it would have helped Elijah to pray, a little bit sooner.

 

Also we read that Elijah left his companion in Beersheba,

            and then traveled alone   a day further on into the wilderness,

                        completely isolating himself from all human support.

 

We need people of compassion who will be with us when we are weary;

            others who will listen without judgment or giving us advice,

                who will just be with us, & simply care & share our struggles.

 

Elijah all alone, isolated & lonely under a solitary juniper tree,

            in his hurting, frightened and distorted thinking,

                        he declares:             “I’m all alone -- I alone am left” …

            … and so he spirals on downward into total hopelessness,

                        toward an emotional - spiritual – and physical collapse.

 

So how does God minister to his hurting - depressed servant Elijah?

                                                           

First, notice that God doesn’t rebuke or challenge Elijah.

            God’s messenger simply awakens him with a gentle touch of care,

                        and says,  ‘arise and eat’.

 

            Then after a little more rest,    vs. 7                     

                        The angel of the LORD came a second time, touched him, and said,  “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.”

 

The truth is, life is not always easy or clear.

            We may paint on a happy face before others here at church,

                        but for the most part, we are not as strong and sure

                                    as we'd like for those around us to believe we are.

 

And for some reason, as if it were more holy or spiritually mature,

            sometimes Christians intentionally ignore our physical needs,

                        and choose to forget that our souls  dwell in these bodies.

 

Truth is, attending to our physical needs,

            goes a long way in caring for our emotional - spiritual needs.

Sometimes the very best thing we can do spiritually,

            is to get a good night's sleep and eat a nutritious meal,

                                      or take a nap, though not necessarily  during the sermon.

 

The very first question, that any counselor, doctor or therapist

            will ask a depressed or troubled patient:

                        “how are you sleeping?  , and how’s your appetite?”

 

We read throughout the Bible, about God

            providing food and rest for his hungry and weary people.

If we don't attend to our physical and emotional needs,

            then we are also failing to care for our spiritual needs.

 

I know this sounds very practical and overly pragmatic,

            and I clearly don't mean to suggest this   

                        as simple or easy steps so to never feel sad or blue,

                                    or as a set procedure to fix and cure

                                       all our troubles and hurts when life gets difficult…

 

… however,  drawing upon Elijah's experience in the wilderness,

                suggests some things that might help us cling more closely to God,

                         and that might provide for strength, courage and tenacity

                                    to help us cope, endure & get through our down times;à

 à and maybe even help break some of our self-destructive patterns.

 

* 1st:  recognize that there are times when we are more vulnerable

            therefore, give ourselves permission for a break,

                  for we may be seeing things much worse than they really are.

 

When I used to be a frequent speaker on youth retreats,

            I learned that after even the most wonderful mountaintop experience,

                        that I would come home physically, emotionally, and spiritually spent…

                                    … and Mondays were never easy after a weekend retreat.

 

Denying that we struggle, or feeling guilty if we have a dark day,

            as if good and faithful Christians should never have them,

                 is not biblical & can be destructively counter-productive.

 

            We are morals made of dust.    

We are earthen vessels, and sometimes clay pots break and crack;

            fear, anxiety, self-pity and exhaustion  they all happen to us.

 

* 2nd:            recognize that at such times,

                                    our perceptions may become confused and distorted,
                                                & the best thing is human support, not isolation.

 

Alone it is very easy to slip into deeper and deeper ‘poor me’ mode;

            “I alone am left and they seek my life”  ---  but, a good friendà

                        can help break our fall into defeat and hopelessness.

When we slip from the heights of triumph  into the depths of despair,

            often, God will speak hope to us    through human encouragement.

 

* 3^rd:   recognize that whatever we might be feeling,

                  God has not and will not ever, for any reason, abandoned us.

            Our walk with God is not just for the events on the mountaintop,

                        but also  present with us   for our lives in the wilderness.

 

  But, if we look to our own strength and self-defined wisdom,

            then we won't open and able to hear God's love present with us,

                               nor will we be able to find hope, meaning or endurance.

 

The truth is, God does want to bless us and sustain us

            so the issue is not whether or not   God is present and with us.

                        The issue is   our willingness to trust, wait and receive.

 

One time many years ago,

            Kathy and I served on a weekend retreat in Washington State,

                        and it was all absorbing, exhausting, and left us drained.

Many of the participants on the retreat had major issues & problems

            such as spouses in prison, abuse, violence, drug-alcohol dependencies,  etc.

 

As a group counselor,   sharing Christ and trying to explain

            a Christian perspective to such hurting and wounded people,

                         was a wonderful experience and life changing for us all,

                                      but by the end of it,

                                        we were totally spent with had nothing left to give.

 

            Facing at least a nine hour drive back home after the retreat,

                        we considered a motel, but our money was too way tight.

Along the way, nestled into the beautiful Cascade Mountains,

  we passed a little resort town that looked like a Bavarian village…

              … that was enticing, quaint and obviously way over our budget.

 

Kathy insisted that we stop at a hotel and at least inquire.

            But I was tired, and in one of my stubborn foul moods,

                         so I didn't even want to stop, and wouldn't go in and ask.

  So Kathy went in;   and came back out, smiling and waving a room key.

 

Actually she didn't get a room, it was an incredible suite of rooms,

     that even included our own porch and Jacuzzi, for almost nothing.

We spent a wonderful and restful night,

            then woke up refreshed, restored, and gratefully praising God.

 

Now I know that there are any number of possible explanations,

            but I was there, and we recognized God's love and blessings;à

 

à         and I'm pretty sure I heard God speaking to me, saying:

                        "You know that I love you,

                                    so trust me that I will take care of you …

                                      … and next time, try not to be such a jerk about it."

 

God does not and will not

            ever ignore or abandon us in our hurt or need.

     God is gracious to struggling servants, even under juniper trees

        and the Lord will bless us with all the good things that we need.

 

It's never a question of God’s willingness to bless us or give.

        The question, the only question, is our willingness to receive,

                our willingness to accept God's gracious love and blessings.

   Therefore, let us taste and see,

            let us delight in that which God's love has prepared.

 

That is what the Lord's Supper, the Table of God's grace is about,

            where Jesus asks, and then promises,       Matthew 7:9-11

                        Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone?  Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake?  

                                    If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!