It is impossible to reminisce of the prophets of old without remembering the great prophet Elijah. When I think of Elijah, I recall the many miracles that God performed through him. The most significant of which we see in 1 Kings 18 as we watch Elijah defeat the prophets of Baal and call down fire from Heaven. 1 Kings 18:38 “Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 and when all the people saw it they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord he is the God: the Lord he is the God.”
God had just used Elijah to perform many miracles with the climax being this major victory on Mount Carmel. You would think that coming off of the high of such great a victory Elijah would find himself living on cloud nine, but scripture paints a very different story. Victory, a word on which we would all like our stories to end, but Elijah’s story does not end here, and quite frankly I am glad that it does not! I believe that there is something more that God would have us take away from Elijah’s encounter.
In 1 Kings chapter 18, we see Elijah the victor. The powerful spokes person for the Lord. Step into 1 Kings 19 and here we see a very different Elijah. 1 Kings 19:4 “But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree:and he requested for himself that he might die: and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.” What was it that caused Elijah to beg the Lord to call him to his Heavenly home? Discouragement, a loss of confidence or enthusiasm, dispiritedness; Elijah was faced with profound discouragement. Elijah was discouraged that despite the great miracles that the Lord had performed in their midst, many of the people of Israel had still chosen to deny him.
What is there to be learned from the discouragement of Elijah? First and foremost, we must remember that discouragement is a major tactic that the enemy will use against us both personally and in our ministry endeavors. If we do not recognize his strategy we will be tempted to quit and give up on the very people who the Lord has called us to serve. What Elijah failed to realize at the time was that he was paving the way for future generations to follow the Lord.
In a world filled with instant gratification, it is very easy to become disenchanted with the things in life that don’t come immediately. The kingdom of God does not operate on the worldly system of gratification. In fact, scripture makes it clear that some will plant, others will water, but it is the Lord who will give the increase. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 reminds us “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow.” Just as there are many steps involved in asphalt pavement installation, so to are there many steps in laying the foundation for ministry, both personal and corporate.
The problem that many of us face, as we step out to do what the Lord ha called us to, is that we become discouraged and give up in the demolition and removal phase. As followers of Christ we must be ever aware that none of our efforts are in vain. ” Who are you praying for? What outcomes have you expected that have not yet come to fruition? Is it a child who just doesn’t seem like he/she will ever surrender to the Lord? Is it a ministry that hasn’t grown as quickly as you expected? Is it loved ones who mock you and persecute you for your desire to work in the kingdom? Whatever the circumstance, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up!” (Galatians 6:9)
Do not allow discouragement to stop you in the demolition phase! Continue to pray and be strong in the ministry that God has called you to. If the Saints who have gone before us had gotten discouraged and given up it would have been impossible for us to reach our final destination. The same is true of us, if we abandon the job, there are many who will never reach their full potential in Christ! Let us be willing to endure the hard work of paving even if we never get to enjoy the drive! The demolition is just as important as the final roll!
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