02/17/2025
Are you depressed about something this morning? Do you feel that the Lord has backed away or allowed some tragedy to befall you? Are you mired in a season of hopelessness? If so, you are not alone. This happened to others throughout the Bible, and is happening in the lives of many today, but here is a word of wisdom and hope for you that I personally cling to, and which will see you through such seasons too... “Just keep living!”
“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. And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.”
1 Kings 19:4-5 KJV
In this particular scripture, in these words of Elijah, we see that God didn't give him some great message or salvation, but told him to get up and eat... or in other words… get on with life and leave the rest to me. Then He provided Elijah with food and told him that this wasn't the end of the world but rather the beginning of a great journey in which Elijah would need God to feed him.
““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.””
1 Kings 19:6-7 ESV
Now, Elijah could have just stayed there and continued to be depressed; after all, Jezebel was out to kill him, and his situation seemed to be beyond hope. He was distraught. Yet he listened to the angel, got up, and ate. He made the decision to “just keep living”. But it took a relapse and a second visit from the angel before he finally got up and reentered life.
“And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.”
1 Kings 19:7-8 KJV
We are just like Elijah. We are tempted to sit down and give up, to blame God, or to feel alone, when trouble or sorrow overcomes us. If the angel had not come to Elijah, an archeologist might well have stumbled upon his bones in modern times; they would have been lying in a fetal position under a juniper tree where he had stayed until he died.... but he arose and just kept living.
We have this misconception that there are things happening in our lives, or the lives of those around us, that are outside of God's plan for us... not true. When my father died I was broken and there was a hole in my life. I was depressed and worried about my mother being alone and what would become of her. I thought this was the end of something, but it wasn't. I was witnessing the painful beginning of the next phase in my family's life. So was Elijah.
God doesn't leave us in tragedy and heartbreak, He uses it to teach us something about ourselves and Him. He is right there as we shout at Him in our anger or roll up in a ball during our sorrow. He has our next beginning already planned and beckons us to get up and eat. He wants us to “just keep living”... there is a journey ahead and He is ready to continue on it with us. The question becomes this; although you are sad and depressed are you truly at the end of your rope? You might think so and want to give up, and you might even find yourself asking God to take away your life, but there is more life for you to live, and with the help of your faith in God and Jesus Christ you will live it in peace and joy. Listen to what Jesus has to say…
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
John 14:26-27 ESV
Elijah wanted to die, and yet he still needed God's permission. He had lost faith in God's ability to help him, but not in the Lord's sovereignty and judgement. Is this you? Who is your angry voice directed at? When we are distraught, our fear, anger, and sorrow, can bring us to a crossroads. Which of these paths will we take? It really doesn't matter because God awaits along each of them. What lies ahead on all but one of them is life. By selecting a path that includes life we will have decided to “just keep living”, but the scenery and difficulty is different between each of these journeys. Which one will you select?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for taking the sad or seemingly hopeless times in my life, those times when I want to give up on life, and renewing my joy and hope. Father, in my sorrow, grief, or anger, call out to me, and give me drink, then feed me with your word. Tell me to get up and eat so that I might continue my journey with you. Lord, when I come to the various crossroads in my life, give me pause and let me hear your voice as it directs me to the path of life that you would have me take. I know that I will find you on each of the roads ahead but lead me along the one which allows me to walk closest with you, and not that one lonely road where I won't find you until the day of judgement. Nothing happens that you don't see, and even in my suffering you are there. Never let me lose sight of you, and in even the most desperate of situations, let me see you beckoning me to follow your narrow path. Lift me Father and feed me so that I might be strong enough for the journey. I may have lost something wonderful, or faced a horrific happening in my life, but you have never forsaken me... you will forever comfort me. Call to me Lord, help me resolve to “just keep living”, even when my circumstances have overcome me and I find myself lying at the foot of a juniper tree. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who is loving, merciful, and full of hope and grace. Holy are you who provides us with an escape from the world’s hopelessness and brings joy back into our lives. In the Garden of Gethsemane, you gave Jesus the strength to continue on and to drink from the bitter cup, and we know that you are here for us too and will strengthen us just as you did Him. Father, lift us up in your strong arms, feed us like you would an infant, and whisper lovingly into our ears, saying, “Just keep living for I am with you always.” This is our hope, our faith, and our trust in you, and it is the life, salvation, and joy, in which we will find true and eternal peace.
And in these truths we say Hallelujah, and Amen!
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Romans 15:13 ESV
“but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:31 ESV
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
Romans 12:12 ESV
Rich Forbes