Fear

Fear

Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the desert, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.”

1 Kings 19:3-4

Do you know how much fear a man can feel when he’s threatened by a woman? A lot. Elijah, an Old Testament prophet, was a man of great faith. In 1 Kings 18 we read that he stood up to wicked King Ahab, asked God to send down fire, and struck down 850 false prophets. A man of faith, Elijah experienced some incredible victories.

But in the very next chapter we see Elijah as a man of fear. Queen Jezebel was not happy when she heard that 850 of her prophets had been killed, and she promised to take revenge on Elijah. In spite of the great victory he had just experienced, the prophet fled eighty miles to the town of Beersheba. Elijah left his servant there and traveled alone into the wastelands—one lonely and despondent man. He was so exhausted physically and emotionally that when he lay down to sleep, he prayed that God would take away his life. Elijah was in trouble here. He had taken his eyes off God and had fixed them on himself.

As God so often does, he graciously protected and ministered to Elijah. The Lord sent an angel to give him food to strengthen him for his journey to Mt. Horeb, where God spoke to Elijah and reminded him of his great power, using wind, an earthquake, and finally a quiet voice. Elijah learned that God can be trusted always—when there are great displays of power and when things are quiet.

What are you afraid of? What is overwhelming in your life? God can be trusted always. Our job is to keep our eyes on him.

God of the fire and the still, small voice,

It’s reassuring to know that even great prophets of the Bible struggled with fear and disillusionment. Whether our fears relate to our children, husbands, finances, or anything else, may we turn to you in our times of fear so you can strengthen and encourage us. Amen.