Stuck: How God Moves When We Feel StuckНамуна

Elijah was a prophet – and an unpopular one at that. In Scripture, a prophet was someone whose job it was to be God’s mouthpiece. God would speak to them, and they would relay God’s message to His people.

God had done incredible things in Elijah’s lifetime (it’s worth reading 1 Kings to know more!) – things like God raising a boy from the dead – but in the story we’re reading today, Elijah wasn’t full of faith. He was terrified. The king in power at the time wasn’t a great guy, and his wife was evil. She wanted Elijah dead, which obviously scared Elijah. He decided to run for his life.

Elijah was ready to give up being a prophet and serving God. It was so serious that he actually asked God to end his life. Elijah was deeply depressed. He felt stuck and completely alone.

God gave Elijah a few things: a nap, a snack, and a reminder that God was with him. But Elijah wasn’t sure if he believed it. He cried out to God and protested, saying, “I am the only one left!”

Elijah felt stuck, anxious, and lonely. But God had an incredible response to Elijah. God told him, “I reserve 7000 in Israel.”

Elijah wasn’t alone. He had never been – and never would be – alone. In fact, God actually had reserved 7000 other faithful people – that’s a lot more people than just Elijah!

Often when we feel stuck, we can feel like we’re the only ones. It’s easy to compare our lives with our friends – or with strangers on the internet – thinking we’re all alone. We get caught in a trap of comparison, examining our lives and how different they seem from everyone else. We think we should be farther along by now – in our school, relationships, and popularity. It can be so easy to feel alone.

But like Elijah, we are never truly alone. Even when Elijah felt stuck, anxious, and depressed, God reminded him that He was always with him.

When you look at your life, how do you see God reminding you that you aren’t alone? (Could it be through people at your church, your friends, or a family member?)