“And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, ‘Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.’ ” I Kings 19:7
Like Elijah, we can climb out of the pit of discouragement when we…
– Focus on the facts, not our feelings (I Kings 19:1-4a).
– Don’t compare ourselves with others (I Kings 19:4b).
– Take care of our physical needs (I Kings 19:5-7a).
After feeding Elijah and letting him sleep some more, “the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, ‘Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.’ ” (I Kings 19:7). What did the angel know that Elijah didn’t? He knew of a “journey” that God wanted Elijah to take. Elijah wanted his life over right now! But God had further plans for him. God was not done with Elijah no matter what Elijah felt. Elijah had felt useless to God, but the angel let him know that he was not useless; God had a special trip for him to take.
The fourth way to climb out of the pit of discouragement is to ACCEPT GOD IS NOT DONE WITH US YET (I Kings 19:7b). Do we feel like quitting or giving up? Do we tend to think, “How could God ever use me? I’m such a failure. I keep making mistakes. I disappoint myself, so surely I must disappoint God.”
But we can never disappoint God because disappointment can only happen when somebody expects us to do something different from what we normally do. The fact is God knows everything about us. Perhaps we have blown it big – a total failure. Here is a verse for us: “God gives a… fresh start to those ready to quit.” (Psalm 145:14 MSG). God knows we are human because He made us and He knows what makes us tick. He can give us a fresh start on the journey He has for us. He is not done with us. Let’s look to God to help us start over.
Prayer: Father God, some of us may feel useless to You because we are discouraged. We feel like giving up. Because we feel like failures we assume we are failures. Thank You for reminding us that failure is not final. Discouragement is not final. You have a journey for us to take that will renew our sense of direction and purpose. Thank You Lord for giving us a fresh start when we were ready to quit. Thank You for being the God of second chance. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray. Amen.