Discouraged?
Previously, whenever I read the portion of the Bible where the prophet Elijah asked God to kill him, I was not always pleased. Why? I questioned the reason why he ran away from Queen Jezebel when he had the power of God.
But I later discovered by experience what it means to be discouraged. The person of Prophet Elijah had just performed miracles (causing fire to come down from heaven and making rain come down after 3 and a half years), and he killed the prophets of Baal. He yearned for Israel’s return to God, but his life was hunted by the queen. At that point, he felt he was the only one standing for God, and that brought despair to his soul.
It is not easy to believe in a cause alone for many years, and he felt that was his state. He asked God to take away his life because he felt all he had done had yielded no result, but fortunately, he was wrong. The Lord made him understand that there were yet 7,000 people who had not bowed to Baal, and we really can’t tell if it was because of Prophet Elijah that those men were able to abide by their trust in God.
Sometimes, it could seem really discouraging when we pursue a given course that would help people from the depths of our hearts and it seems no one is interested in it, and it seems as though we are not doing the needful (making an impact) even after all we have expended. But maybe that is the point; we need to take a step back to evaluate our actions, instead of giving up or stepping away.
Prophet Elijah asked for death, but the Lord God had better in store for him (the grace of transitioning to heaven without death). Had the Lord granted his request at that moment, he would have never anointed Prophet Elisha, and his transition would not have been as glorious as it was.
The journey of Prophet Elijah through the wilderness can be likened to be a time to reflect, and when he got to Mount Horeb, the Lord asked him, ‘Why are you here?’
When we get to that point of discouragement, there is a need to reflect on why we started, the actions we have taken, and the need to honestly answer the question ‘why am I here?’ While we do this, we must make sure we accept responsibility for our actions.
Discouraged? Take a step back (a retreat) and reflect; not a step away. You got this.
