God's plan

When things are not going our way it is easy to get discouraged especially when we know we are following God’s plan.  God’s plan is not always instant success but more of a gradual process that we have to trust in.  The prophet, Elijah, was very diligent to carry out God’s plan. He followed God’s every instruction.  There was a drought that lasted three years that he predicted and then he went to confront Ahab about worshipping Baal.  Elijah must have felt pretty certain that as soon as God brought forth fire on the altar at mount Carmel in front of all of Israel they would turn from Baal and know that Jehovah was the one true God.  I can only imagine Elijah’s disappointment that his success in disproving Baal was only temporary and that Jezebel wanted him killed.  Elijah was so upset by this turn in events that he prays that God will let him die:  1Kings 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.” When questioned by God Elijah responds in 1Kings19:14, “And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have foresaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword: and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” I often find myself, like Elijah, frustrated when I feel like I am doing all the right things and getting no results or negative results.  It is easy to get a feeling of hopelessness which can consume your thoughts and make things seem worse than they really are. In all his sadness, Elijah had convinced himself he was alone, but he wasn’t as God tells him in 1Kings19:18 “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.”  Often times what we perceive as failure or no result may look very differently to God, just as it did with Elijah. God does not answer Elijah’s prayer to let him die.  God lets Elijah work through his emotions all the while sending an angel to take care of him before sending him on an even greater task.  When you are ready to give into hopelessness and give up like Elijah, don’t.  God has a plan for each one of our lives, it may just look differently from our own plan.