Life is so hard—harder for some than for others. Sometimes there are “ups” and then we get hit with “downs.” When those “downs” come, what can we do? Better asked, “What should we do?”
In the Old Testament, the prophet Elijah experienced “ups” and “downs.” As a prophet of God, he did great miracles to point people to the power and the Word of God. Can you imagine any greater “up” than God sending ravens to feed you while there was a drought in the land (1 Kgs. 17:1-7), or providing endless food for a widow and her son (17:8-16), or raising the widow’s son from the dead (17:17-24), or calling down fire from heaven to consume a sacrifice (18:20-39)? We may wonder how such a man could ever experience any “downs” after having “ups” like these. But he did.
Elijah got so down that “he prayed that he might die and said, ‘It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life!’” (19:4). Through the strength of the Lord, he journeyed forty days to a cave (19:8-9). When you’re down, isn’t that where you’d like to be? In a dark cave and by yourself? When the Lord called to him there, Elijah was depressed. “I alone am left; and they seek to take my life” (19:10). Even after God spoke to him and revealed Himself to him, Elijah again said, “I alone am left; and they seek to take my life” (19:14). Elijah was down and hurting. What could he do? Better yet, what should he do?
The Lord did not tell Elijah to just stay in the cave. He did not tell Elijah to close off from others. The Lord did not tell Elijah to chide others for not coming to his side. Look carefully at three things the Lord told Elijah to do:
First, “go” (19:15). He did not tell him to “stay.” God told Elijah to come out of the cave and “go.” Are there any of us who need to hear that?
Second, “return” (19:15). He did not just tell him to come out of the cave and go, but He told him to go back and retrace his steps. In retracing his steps, he would need to “do again” those good things that he had been doing before (cf. Rev. 2:5).
Third, “anoint…anoint…anoint…” (19:15-16). In other words, the third thing that God told Elijah to do was “work.” And the “work” that He gave him to do was “work” for the good of “others.” Do any of us need to hear that?
Life is hard. It is has “ups” (which we like) and “downs” (which are sometimes devastating). What can we do? What should we do? Three things: (1) Get up and go. (2) Return to doing good things. (3) Work for the benefit of others. As we serve, God will strengthen us and help us to see others (19:18) whom we may help to have an “up” themselves.