Elijah came to a point in his life when he gave up. He got so depressed that he said to God; “I have had enough”; “Take my life”; I’m not better than my forefathers- ‘what’s the point to it all?’
“Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD”, he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors”.”
~1 Kings 19:4
Notice that God never condemned Elijah when he asked the question, ‘what’s the point?’ God never held it against him when he expressed his sadness and depression and appeared like an ingrate. God did not condemn him because the question Elijah asked was a very credible question; he was asking the right question.
Elijah was very concerned about the spiritual welfare of his nation. He wanted to create transformation that was enduring. He wasn’t just there for show. He didn’t just want to entertain the masses. Elijah didn’t just want to be admired and applauded for his supernatural feats. He wanted to create results that were real. He wanted to have results that were lasting. He wanted to go for tangible results, and I believe it came from God.
God put a dream in Elijah’s heart. From Elijah’s concerns and complains, you could actually see the picture that God put in his heart. It was the picture of a nation where everyone, from the king, down to the least person, would be fully devoted to God. His mission was to raise devoted worshippers of the true and living God all over the world.
We talked about the fact that God manifests Himself in infinite varieties. To Abraham He appeared as El Shaddai- God Almighty; to Moses He appeared as the Lord. Each individual looked into the mirror and saw God, and was able to manifest the God that they saw.
Now, it’s the same thing with Elijah. His name means, the Lord He is God. He saw the picture of a nation where God is the Lord of all. That was why he was disturbed when all his miracles weren’t translating into the nation’s acknowledgement of God. He wanted to see substantial and tangible results.
I want to encourage you today. Don’t go for results that are unquantifiable. Don’t go for results that are vague. Rather, go for tangible results!