In 1 Kings 19 Jezebel was angry and had promised to kill Elijah after hearing what he had done to the prophets of Baal. Upon hearing the threats against himself, Elijah arose and ran for his life. In 1 Kings 19:4 we see that 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!” Here in this verse we hear the words of a faithful servant of God that is struggling. God saw His servant and in verses 5 through 8 we see God refreshes him before sending Him on his way.
After traveling many days his struggles are made more clear in verses 10 and 14 where he said, “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.” In these verses Elijah aknowledges His zeal and work for the Lord but also highlights how Israel has rejected God and His servants. Elijah feels alone, scared, and I imagine extremely tired, but once again God was there to set Elijah on the right path and I think remind him that he was not alone.
Have you ever felt like you were the only one that was trying to live right and serve God? Obviously these were feelings that Elijah had to deal with and may be feelings you get from time to time as well. Elijah was surrounded by a nation filled with people that were wrapped up in idol worship and other forms of wickedness. We as well are surrounded by so many people that practice various forms of wickedness. It is easy to get discouraged and feel like we are fighting this fight all alone, but like Elijah we all need to remember that we are never truly alone and that God is always with us. Let us all continue to fight the good fight of faith (1Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 4:7), and whether we are alone or it just feels like we are alone let us remember God and continually let God and His Word provide the comfort and strength that we need to continue to walk and work for Him.
Derek Broome