Dearest prophets
You are so loved. God sees and knows you.
And yes, I’m using the word ‘prophets’ even if it’s an unpopular or uncomfortable word for some.
Jesus wasn’t afraid to use this vocab, and Paul wasn’t afraid to use it, so I’m using it too.
For some, it might feel like you’re back to ‘square one’ in areas of your life. It might feel like intimidation or failure are knocking at your door. It might feel like the forward progress you started to experience has halted, or been stunted, or even seemingly gone backwards.
Maybe you’re just not where you thought you would be by now.
I believe many are going through experiences right now that are similar to Elijah’s experience when he was faced with a particular death threat. It’s not like Elijah was spiritually immature. He’d already been through several wilderness experiences; he’d spent years learning dependence on God.
He first appears out of the wilderness of obscurity. He shows up for the first time in 1 Kings chapter 17 with no introduction to his background. He speaks the word of the Lord with authority directly to the king.
Immediately after delivering this word, The Lord instructs him to go into the wilderness again – this time to the brook Cherith to be fed by ravens. He’s then led into another type of wilderness – this time, to live with a poverty-stricken, marginalized widow and her son.
He comes back in full force to destroy the demonic oppression of Baal by confidently calling down fire from heaven, and then powerfully intercedes to break a 3-year drought.
Very soon after this spiritual high, Elijah reaches a sudden breaking point as he runs from Jezebel’s death threat. Elijah’s history tells us he’s not a rookie in spiritual warfare and he’s not spiritually immature. So why does he run?
For some reason, even though he was no stranger to facing opposition, when intimidation came knocking on his door this time, he got scared.
After running for a whole day – this time choosing to go into the wilderness rather than being led into it – Elijah is aware of the craziness of his level of insecurity and terror, and he feels he’s let God down by sinking to such a weak state. He says ‘I have had enough, Lord’… ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’(1 Kings 19.4)
Elijah’s flaws are exposed at a deeper level than he has experienced before. After running away in terror and asking to die, he’s emotionally, spiritually and physically exhausted.
He falls asleep in the wilderness and then an angel wakes him up and tells him twice to eat the food and water provided by God. He gets enough strength to travel 40 days and 40 nights to Horeb where he has the famous encounter at the entrance of a cave where he hears the ‘still small voice’ of God.
I believe God wants to encourage prophets who are faced with the depth of their insecurities and fears at this time, or their perceived failures. God wants to heal those insecurities and fears and failings – those things you thought he’d ‘already dealt with’ that are knocking at the door again.
It’s tempting to think you’ve failed or to doubt the work and ministry God has already done in and through you, or to feel hopeless. But I believe God is allowing these things to come to the surface simply so they can be dealt with at a deeper level.
You have been healed, and there is thankfulness that God has dealt with many issues in the past, but there is more healing needed to step into the next season.
I’ve heard some preachers interpret this part of the story about Elijah in chapter 19 as the point at which he ‘fails’ his assignment and that God essentially decides to throw Elijah away as prophet, to be unceremoniously replaced as he instructs him to ‘anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet’.
However, I believe there is evidence that weighs more heavily towards the interpretation that actually God is merciful to Elijah in his weakness. God allows Elijah to do his little detour to the wilderness in order that the insecurities in him will be dealt with before he is given the very important call of imparting to the next generation.
Why would God allow Elijah to be a spiritual father and impart so much to Elisha if he viewed Elijah as such a horrendous failure? It’s clear from the scriptures that Elijah didn’t simply pour oil on Elisha, anoint him as the man to succeed him, then leave him to it. He calls and anoints Elisha, then Elisha becomes Elijah’s servant, and is mentored by him at such close range that, in the end, he calls Elijah his ‘father’.
I believe God exposes the depth of weakness in Elijah and allows him to experience the ‘trigger’ of trauma so that he can then be ministered to, learn rest, depend on God’s empowerment and receive God’s truth at a much deeper level.
Resist the lies of exaggeration that the devil tries to throw at this time. When God asks Elijah why he’s way out there in the wops at mount Horeb, Elijah replies ‘I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too’. (1 Kings 19.10)The devil’s death threats are lies. And the devil’s argument that you’re totally alone in your struggle are lies. The idea that you’ve hopelessly failed or let God down is a lie.
God corrects the lies of the enemy: ‘I reserve seven thousand in Israel – all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him’ (1 Kings 19.18). He exhorts Elijah to get up, go another round, and gives him step by step instructions for the next glorious season.
The lies of the enemy – that you are so alone – and that you should just give up because your weaknesses are so overwhelming – are in direct contrast to the exciting assignment that is to be released in the next season, I believe.
In the next season, Elijah gets to be a big part of seeing people come together to defeat darkness – he is to anoint the next king of Aram, and Jehu over Israel, and Elisha as prophet. Elijah is not alone in this season – there are others working towards the same goal, and God provides him with spiritual family – a spiritual son in Elisha, and a legacy that goes beyond his own lifespan.
I believe the sharp feeling of aloneness, the sense of failure or weakness, exhaustion, and perhaps depression and lack of hope, is drawing us into deeper healing and deeper truth in Jesus that leads us into what God is about to do – and what he’s about to do is the opposite of all those things.
He’s bringing a sense of family connection, a sense of legacy and lasting fruit, a sense of strength and hope. For all the prophets who have had a sense of aloneness for too long, God has heard you, and also I believe he’s going to provide a genuine spiritual son or daughter (or even more than one of these) in the next season – an increasing sense of family particularly among prophets who have been longing for this day – some for many years.
It’s in your DNA to want family – the kind of family where the hearts of parents are turned towards the sons and daughters, and the hearts of sons and daughter are turned towards parents.
Don’t give up.
Spiritual Growth and Giftings 