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Imagine a young girl in a remote corner of Pakistan, where the mountains meet the sky, and the horizon is marked by rugged terrain and a society deeply tooted in tradition. This girl, Malala Yousafzai, was an ardent advocate for girls' education in a region where such views were not only controversial but dangerous. Just a teenager, Malala was driven by a profound conviction, facing fierce resistance from those who sought to silence her. She must have often felt overwhelmed, perhaps even despairing that her efforts would make a difference. But she courageously spoke up, even when the battle seemed insurmountable, even when it must have felt like she stood alone. In 2012, Malala's advocacy nearly cost her life. On a school bus, she was shot by a gunman who targeted her for her activism. The attack was an attempt to quash her voice. But after surviving the attack, Malala's voice grew louder and more influential. She became a global symbol for the fight for girls' education, becoming the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Perhaps her powerful story can help us grasp the struggles faced by the prophet Elijah. Over these summer weeks, we have been studying the life of the prophet Elijah and this morning we reach the final episode. If you’re unfamiliar with him, it’s fair to say he’s a total legend as far as Bible characters go: one of the most fascinating and courageous prophets in the Bible. He lived in Israel during a turbulent time, around the 9th century BC. The leaders of God's people had turned away from Him, and the few who remained faithful were under severe pressure. If you’ve missed previous sermons, they can be read, listened to, or watched on our website and on Clayton TV. But here’s a quick recap of the highlights so far. You might want to turn to page 301 in your Bibles to follow along.

At this point in history, God’s people were divided into two kingdoms: the Kingdom of Judah in the south, and Israel in the north. To understand Elijah, you need to step into the throne room of Israel, where you’ll meet the wicked King Ahab and the fearsome Queen Jezebel. They did not worship the true and living God who created the world and everything in it. Instead, they had turned to worship Baal, a so-called god. Their role as King and Queen was to lead the people of God in worshiping Him. Instead, they led them into idolatry, abandoning God’s word and seeking to destroy those who remained faithful. Elijah bursts onto the scene in 1 Kings 17, confronting King Ahab and declaring a drought in Israel as judgment for the nation’s idolatry—a bold challenge to Baal, who was supposed to control the rain.

Over the past weeks, we've journeyed through incredible stories: the miraculous provision of food during a severe famine, where ravens brought Elijah food, a widow’s small supply of flour and oil miraculously lasting throughout the famine, and God even raising the widow’s son from the dead. Then, in 1 Kings 18, we witnessed the dramatic showdown on Mount Carmel, where God revealed His power over Baal. Elijah led a public and stunning victory, where God sent fire from heaven to consume Elijah’s offering, proving once and for all that He alone is God. Elijah then prayed for rain, and it came. This seemed like the moment when Ahab and Jezebel would finally see the truth, acknowledge God, and lead the people into revival. This was the moment Elijah had prayed for—the reform he had longed for. But no, let’s enter the throne room of Israel and see what happens next (1 Kings 19.1-3):

Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

Elijah’s hopes were crushed. Instead of repentance, Elijah was threatened by Jezebel and had to flee for his life. Today, we arrive at a very different chapter in Elijah's life—a surprising turn. This isn’t a story of victory or power, but of deep personal struggle, exhaustion, and ultimately, a profound encounter with God. It’s a story that speaks to each of us, whether we are believers or simply curious about the life of this prophet. We find Elijah at a point of deep discouragement. He is physically, emotionally, and spiritually drained. He leaves his servant behind and heads into the wilderness. 1 Kings 19.4-5:

But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” And he lay down and slept under a broom tree.

After such a high moment, Elijah finds himself in deep despair. He flees not only from Jezebel’s threats but also from the purpose and mission God had given him. Throughout Elijah’s story, we’ve seen his unwavering conviction in the reality of the living God. He believed he was a representative of God, perhaps even the last faithful prophet. But now, it seems his efforts have been in vain. So he sits under a broom tree and prays a raw, honest prayer. He has had enough. What was the point of everything he had been through when nothing had changed, and things had only gotten worse? It’s never convenient or comfortable to take a stand in a hostile generation. It never is. This is a profoundly human moment. Elijah’s feelings of isolation, failure, and hopelessness are emotions many of us have faced. Perhaps you’ve been in a place where you felt like giving up, where the burdens of life seemed too heavy to bear. Elijah’s story reminds us that it’s okay to cry out to God for help, to be honest with Him when we’ve hit our limit.

I resonate with Elijah's despair when I see those who stand firm for Jesus losing out: ministers and churches who hold fast to the truth seeming to lose everything, while those who abandon the faith seem to prosper. And surely, one of the most convincing things about Christianity is its power to change men and women. Isn’t it hard when God’s work seems so clear, yet people still don’t believe?

What happens next reveals God’s character. Instead of rebuking Elijah or demanding more from him, God responds with tender care. He sends an angel to provide food and water, allowing Elijah to rest and regain his strength. 1 Kings 19.5-8:

…And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.

Elijah, a man of great faith and courage, reached a point of exhaustion and despair. This is a reminder that it's okay to admit when we're struggling, to seek rest and nourishment—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, know that you don’t have to carry that burden alone. It’s okay to step back, to rest, and to reach out for help. God met Elijah in his weakness, providing exactly what he needed to keep going. The journey to Horeb, the mount of God, was long, and Elijah couldn’t make it on his own strength. But Elijah’s struggle wasn’t just physical; it was emotional and spiritual. And God would address those needs next, at Horeb, the mountain of God. 1 Kings 19.9-10:

There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”

After forty days of travel, Elijah arrives at Horeb, the mount of God—the very place where Moses had been commissioned by God and where the Ten Commandments were given. Here, Elijah would experience God in an unexpected way. God’s question, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" invites Elijah to voice his frustrations and fears. Elijah pours out his heart, expressing his sense of failure and isolation. Elijah knew what God had promised in his word. For example, Deuteronomy 11.16-17:

Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the Lord is giving you.

Elijah was struggling with a haunting question: Would God’s word actually come true? Israel still rejected the God who saved them and made them His people. Would God do what He had promised in His word? This question was at the core of Elijah’s crisis. He had been faithful, he had trusted in God’s word – that shaped his prayer life. That shaped his actions. That shaped his hopes and expectations. Yet it seemed like those who opposed God were winning. Was God’s word still reliable? Which makes sense of what happens next (1 Kings 19.11-13):

And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave…

God instructs Elijah to stand on the mountain, perhaps in the very same spot where Moses had stood when God had revealed himself to him. Elijah then witnesses a series of powerful events—a windstorm, an earthquake, and a fire. But significantly, the Lord is not in any of these dramatic displays of power. Instead, God speaks to Elijah in a “low whisper,” or as the footnote in our ESV Bibles say ‘a sound, a thin silence’ or as some translations put it, a “still small voice.” What does that mean? These are tricky verses and have been taken in different ways. But here is what I think they mean: God is not disagreeing with Elijah’s charges against the people of Israel. The powerful wind that tore the mountains, the earthquake, the fire - they are all powerful representations of God’s judgement. But God was not in any of those, not yet at least. For now, he holds back his judgement. This is not the end of the story. Delayed judgement does not mean his word has failed or that he has changed his mind. The silence means that God has nothing to add to the revelation he has already given. In other words, there is nothing to add to what God has already said. Elijah is simply given a powerful reminder of the word God has already given through Moses. And that addresses his spiritual angst; Elijah can trust God’s word. He was not wrong to risk even his life as he contended for the truth. God has not changed his mind. And God’s word has not failed.

We too live in times when it seems like those who reject God seem to be on the winning side. We can feel like we are in a ridiculously small minority. We too can begin to question ourselves: is God’s word true? Is it worth the cost? God has revealed himself through His Word. We can trust it because we can trust him. We can let it shape our prayer life. Our actions. Our hopes and expectations. There is a fab little verse about Elijah in James 5.17:

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.

Elijah was human, just like us. We have seen that his struggles and victories are not so different from our own. Yet, it was not the dramatic miracles that ultimately sustained Elijah, but God’s Word. His word remains true, and His promises will come to pass. God doesn’t always work in the ways we expect, but He is always at work. But God has more to say to Elijah. The text repeats exactly God’s question and Elijah’s answer. You see that in 1 Kings 19.13-14. God then gives Elijah instructions (1 Kings 19.15-18):

And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

God’s Word to Elijah, shows him that his story and ministry wasn’t over yet. God had more for him to do. He gives Elijah three tasks: to anoint Hazael as king over Syria, Jehu as king over Israel, and Elisha as his prophetic successor. Through these leaders, God would bring judgment on the house of Ahab and fulfill His word. Judgement may be delayed but God’s words will come to pass. In the meantime: there is work to be done. The parallels for us, I hope, are clear: We hold firm to the promise that Jesus will surely come again and on that day those who reject God will face judgement. 2 Peter 3.9:

The Lord is not slow to fulfil his promise as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

So we are trust God’s word, not giving up, living lives of holiness and godliness and loving calling on all we know to turn to him, while there is still time. These words to Elijah also show that there is hope. He wasn’t as alone as he thought. Alongside this judgment, God preserves a remnant—a faithful group who have not worshiped Baal. This remnant is crucial to God’s ongoing plan to save his people. Romans 11.2-4 sheds further light on this, where Paul recalls this very moment in Elijah’s life to demonstrate God’s faithfulness. Even when Elijah felt utterly alone, God revealed that there was a remnant of 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed to Baal. This remnant was preserved by God’s Word, a powerful reminder that his words will come to pass and his purposes are never thwarted, even when they seem hidden from our eyes. That is true for us too – no matter how alone we may feel. He will build his church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And God’s words to Elijah here point beyond Elijah himself in another way. On Mount Carmel we saw Elijah the great spiritual leader, saving Israel by his faith and faithfulness. But he is not the messiah. His weakness in this chapter show that he is human, just like us. And the fact that he will have a successor shows that the sin problem of God’s people will not be solved by him pointing forwards to Jesus. He will fulfil God’s word. He will bring both justice and salvation to the world. Being the other side of Jesus’s birth, death and resurrection means we can see even more clearly that God keeps his word.

As we reflect on Elijah's journey, we are reminded that standing firm in faith and truth often feels lonely, exhausting, and even futile. Yet, just as God met Elijah in his moment of despair, reassuring and commissioning him for the work ahead, so too does God meet us in our struggles. He reminds us that His Word is reliable, His promises are sure, and His plan is unfolding, even when we can't see it. The challenge before us is this: Will we, like Elijah, continue to stand firm, trusting in God's Word even when the world seems against us? Will we listen for His voice in the midst of life's noise and allow it to shape our actions, our prayers, and our hopes? God has more work for each of us, and like Elijah, we are called to press on, trusting that He is with us and that His Word will never fail. So, let us go forward, standing firm in faith, boldly proclaiming His truth, and living out His Word in our lives, confident that He is always at work, bringing His promises to pass.