Articles
Ups and Downs
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Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!" And Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!" So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there. (1 Kgs. 18:39-40)
But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, "It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers! . . . I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life." (1 Kgs. 19:4, 10).
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It takes a special kind of courage to face down hundreds of the enemy by yourself, but Elijah had it. On Mt. Carmel, he confronted the prophets of Baal in a dramatic showdown that removed all doubt about the identity of the true God. Even the people of Israel, who until this point had been so indecisive, were spurred to action by Elijah's great victory.
But when word reached Jezebel of what Elijah had done, she unleashed all the power at her command to have him assassinated. Fearing for his life, Elijah ran away to Mt. Sinai, as far from the wicked queen as he could go. The pressure of fighting this battle alone had finally taken its toll on the weary prophet, and he was ready to call it quits.
Over the span of a few days, Elijah had experienced the exhilaration of triumph and the despair of failure. On top of the world one day, and in the depths of depression the next.
Sound familiar? Every one of us have experienced similar ups and downs in our own lives, have we not? There are days of jubilation when it seems everything is going our way and the world is our oyster. But that is followed by periods of deep gloom when nothing is going right and the future appears hopeless. Over a lifetime, we may experience this see-saw several times. It's an emotional roller coaster ride that can wear us down.
God patiently helped the prophet weather the storm, and He will help us, too. But at a more basic level, Elijah's story should reassure us that we are not alone in facing these wild swings in life. We must remind ourselves that whether we are flying high as a kite or trudging through the mud, neither condition is permanent. It's all just part of the scenery we experience as we journey toward an eternal home, a reward that will make all the craziness worthwhile.
Keep your eyes on that distant goal, and don't be distracted by the affairs of the moment.
--David
