Redirect.
6 min read
With the (self-created) hype around re-launching the blog over the past couple weeks, my biggest prayer was for new subscribers. So if you’re new - I cannot thank you enough for being here and for giving me a spot in your inbox!
If your inbox is anything like mine, it is littered with junk and a lotta distraction - so THANK YOU for being here and super duper thank you for those of you who have passed this along to others.
With the addition of subscribers (yay!), there’s also been a drop off (womp, womp). We’re still at a net gain (I’m saying we because I very much consider you a part of this ministry), but I can’t deny the questions of worth and value unsubscribers bring to the table.
Why did they unsubscribe? Where did they go? Should I email them? No, that’s Stage 5 status. Plz step away from the computer.
These feelings of discouragement loom and linger, until I remember IT AIN’T ABOUT ME.
My sister gently reminded me of this when I sat in a pity party puddle of defeat a few weeks ago saying, “Sister, you always said if this took one person one degree closer to the Lord, it was worth it.”
Like a 14-month old toddling toward a light socket, I needed that redirect.
I’ve written quite a bit about discouragement, and I’m honestly a little embarrassed to keep writing about it. I think it’s because I want to be upbeat and happy and ya girl Susie (Sunshine), but sometimes seasons hit and they need to be addressed!
The spirit of discouragement can wear many hats, and for me it’s typically because I spend a lot of time listening to myself. In Jennie Allen’s book Get Out of Your Head, she talks about the importance of talking to yourself vs. listening to yourself.
This is so powerful! Rather than listening to the lies and the what ifs, start reminding yourself of God’s promises. The more we do it, the more it becomes a habit, and the more the devil starts to lose ground.
It’s also good to remember you are human. This can be a blanket excuse for a myriad of poor decisions, but sometimes it’s nice and grounding to remember He is God, and I am not! It’s especially helpful (in my humble opinion) to read Bible stories about a whole buncha humans who also get tired, who also get discouraged, and who also maybe don’t make the best decisions.
That’s pretty much every character in the Bible btw. Even Jesus! (Minus the poor decisions part).
One of these especially interesting Bible characters is Elijah. I didn’t know much about him, but God does this cool thing when you start digging into His Word where He will plant a little curiosity seed in your heart. Then when you start reading to get some context around the seed, it’s like you’re sitting in God’s classroom, and He’s giving you a little wink.
With this plant of curiosity in mind, I started reading Kings to learn about Elijah. He was a prophet of Israel, and he was fiery. Some of his abbreviated accolades include predicting the beginning and end of a 3 year drought, he was used by God to bring a dead child back to life, he parted water, and he represented God in one of the most bad*ss scenes of the Bible I’ve read thus far. It’s so good I’m going to make us read it and dissect it.
But first, some context before you jump in:
Ahab is the King of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and he’s said to be the most evil king of all time. His wife Jezebel is even more evil than he is. Yes, this is where the term “She’s a real Jezebel” originated. Not gonna lie I used to think Jez sounded cool. Wrong. She’s an awful, scary Cruella DeVilish woman. She worships Baal bigtime, and Baal and Asherah who are mentioned below are false gods. Also, Ahab hates Elijah bc duh, Elijah represents God and Ahab loves and worships pagan things like a real do-do.
K here we go… I know it’s a lot of text, but it’s really good!!!
(Ahem, I see you skipping over the text - stop, come back, read it! ;)
1 Kings 18:17-40
17 When Ahab saw Elijah, he exclaimed, “So, is it really you, you troublemaker of Israel?”
18 “I have made no trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the Lord and have worshiped the images of Baal instead. 19 Now summon all Israel to join me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who are supported by Jezebel.”
20 So Ahab summoned all the people of Israel and the prophets to Mount Carmel. 21 Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent.
22 Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left, but Baal has 450 prophets. 23 Now bring two bulls. The prophets of Baal may choose whichever one they wish and cut it into pieces and lay it on the wood of their altar, but without setting fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood on the altar, but not set fire to it. 24 Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by setting fire to the wood is the true God!” And all the people agreed.
25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “You go first, for there are many of you. Choose one of the bulls, and prepare it and call on the name of your god. But do not set fire to the wood.”
26 So they prepared one of the bulls and placed it on the altar. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning until noontime, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no reply of any kind. Then they danced, hobbling around the altar they had made.
27 About noontime Elijah began mocking them. “You’ll have to shout louder,” he scoffed, “for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself.[b] Or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!”
28 So they shouted louder, and following their normal custom, they cut themselves with knives and swords until the blood gushed out. 29 They raved all afternoon until the time of the evening sacrifice, but still there was no sound, no reply, no response.
30 Then Elijah called to the people, “Come over here!” They all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down. 31 He took twelve stones, one to represent each of the tribes of Israel,[c] 32 and he used the stones to rebuild the altar in the name of the Lord. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold about three gallons.[d] 33 He piled wood on the altar, cut the bull into pieces, and laid the pieces on the wood.[e]
Then he said, “Fill four large jars with water, and pour the water over the offering and the wood.”
34 After they had done this, he said, “Do the same thing again!” And when they were finished, he said, “Now do it a third time!” So they did as he said, 35 and the water ran around the altar and even filled the trench.
36 At the usual time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,[f] prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. 37 O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.”
38 Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The Lord—he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!”
40 Then Elijah commanded, “Seize all the prophets of Baal. Don’t let a single one escape!” So the people seized them all, and Elijah took them down to the Kishon Valley and killed them there.
So awesome, right? HOW MUCH I would give to have this happen right now. Oh, ok cool, yep I see your “karma” and good deeds and idols of self, work, body, power, success… can they light this sacrifice on fire? Go ahead. Go for it.
nothing.nada.zero.zilch.
NOW WATCH MY GOD! THE ONLY GOD!
I’m so pumped up right now just envisioning it happening, so I can only imagine how Elijah must have felt...
Until he gets discouraged.
Y’all!
In the very next chapter, he finds out ol’ Jezzie the Baal lover is super mad and super wants to kill him, and Elijah runs for the hills by himself and prays for God to let him die.
Like, what?
But guysss, how often do we do this? I know I do this!!!
In the words of the great prophet Frank Sinatra “you’re riding high in april, shot down in may” because in our humanness in this broken world, we really can go from the mountaintop to the valley in an instant.
So what do we do? How do we handle disappointment or discouragement in a way that honors God?
Let’s look really quickly at what God says to Elijah.
First, he lets him rest. It could be implied he lets him wallow a little bit - his feelings of discouragement are real, so maybe he lets him feel them. Then, he sends an angel to tell him to get up, eat and drink water. Twice. Then he journeys to be alone with the Lord. When he’s reached his destination, the Lord asks him, “What are you doing here?”
The first time, Elijah answers with how much he’s zealously served the Lord, but he’s just beaten down by the turn of events with Jez et al.
To this, God shows him some POWER by way of wind, fire, earthquakes, then he asks him again, “What are you doing here?”
Elijah answers the same way.
Then God tells him to turn around, go back to work, gives him some assignments, appoints him a successor, and tells him he will preserve 7000 who follow God, not Baal.
Let’s put this in all layman’s terms, shall we?
When we are discouraged:
Stop. Rest. Accept the reality of your feelings, but don’t let them overtake you. Take care of yourself and your body with good food and water.
Seek God’s face. Pray. Read His word. Let His promises wash over you and replace any of the lies you might be hearing. Is this pruning? What is He teaching you? Is there something you need to lay down?
Dwell on His mighty power and capable hands. He is God, and you are not.
Trust that He will rejuvenate you and equip you.
Do the next right thing with the work you have in front of you.
Reflect on the mountaintops, and have hope the best is yet to come!
Expanding on the mountaintop - can you remember when you watched Him defeat Baal, whatever Baal looked like for you? Was it a huge project you finished, or a hard relationship you didn’t give up on, or maybe it’s the financial hurdle you saved enough to chip away.
These earthly victories are only a glimpse of what’s to come. God wins. Never forget that!
Oh Lord, you are mighty, powerful, sovereign, good! We miss the point sometimes, don’t we? It must be frustrating to parent us, but you are soo gentle and loving. Thank you! Thank you for sustaining us, thank you for loving us, thank you for not giving up on us! Sometimes we want to give up, Lord. In those moments, will you help us redirect our eyes to you and to your cross? Will you remind us of what you’ve already done for us and that you alone can and will sustain us? Let us loosen our grip on our version of success, God. Let us start to see what it looks like to live for you, one degree at a time, never losing sight of progress you help us make toward your heart! In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Sunday/Monday:
Psalm 34:18
Do you believe God is near to you when you’re sad? Do you believe He understands you? How does this make you feel?
Tuesday:
John 15:1-4
Would you rather be pruned or passed over? Why?
Wednesday:
Psalm 29
Make a list of the mighty attributes of God that come to mind for you.
Thursday:
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
What do you think, “for when I am weak, then I am strong” means?
Friday:
Deuteronomy 2:3
Is there a habit or a mental pathway you’ve been walking through too long? What is keeping you from turning from it?
Saturday:
James 1:12
Reflect on the trials and mountaintops of your life. Who is God in them?