1 Kings 19:9-18

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost  -  27 August 2017

Rev. John Derme

It is helpful for us, every once in a while, to see that other people are going through hard times, so that we realize that we ourselves aren't the only people who face difficulties in life. When we see other folks enduring difficulties worse than we have experienced, it helps us to see that our own troubles aren't the worst things in the world. Otherwise you and I would all think that we ourselves are the most troubled people ever and that nobody else could ever understand or help us. We would not only doubt other people's ability to help. We would doubt the Lord's promises to save us. And we would think that our doubts were completely reasonable, because our problems are that bad.

That has to be what Elijah was thinking. You and I have to admit that his problems were pretty bad. Although Elijah was a bold, mighty, powerful prophet of the Lord, the queen of Israel, Jezebel, wanted nothing more than to kill him. As fearless as Elijah was in some cases, in our First Lesson, he was afraid. He was running for his life.

He ran deep into the desert and found a mountain cave. There the Lord came to his prophet and asked him what he was doing. He presented his complaint: I have been working so hard for you, Lord. But the Israelites have forsaken you. They worship other gods and no longer worship you. They have killed off all your prophets except for me. Now I'm all alone, and they are going to kill me next!

The Lord told Elijah to go stand on the mountain, and he would pass by. When Elijah got there, he saw some impressive displays of power. A wind blew so powerfully that it tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks. But the Lord wasn't in the wind. Then an earthquake shook the mountains, but the Lord wasn't in that one, either. Then came a destructive fire, but the Lord wasn't in that, either. Finally, one more thing happened. Elijah heard a gentle whisper. It was the voice of the Lord. That whisper was far more powerful than the great wind, earthquake, and fire, such that Elijah covered up his face, because he was struck with the understanding he was in the presence of the Lord.

The Lord asked him one more time what he was doing. Elijah repeated his complaint. Then the Lord assured Elijah that he was not alone. The Lord had people who would join Elijah in carrying out his will: two kings and a new prophet. And there were thousands of people in the land who had never worshiped that false god Baal, but rather were devoted to the same Lord as Elijah was. 

Elijah's problems were bad, but they weren't so bad that the Lord couldn't save him from them. The Lord's promise calmed Elijah's doubts and strengthened Elijah's faith to trust in his salvation.

It is helpful for us to see what Elijah was going through, because that helps us when we are going through our own hard times. None of us have faced the dangers that he experienced. Yet many of us have been through genuinely bad times. Although we may never have run for our lives, we've been persecuted for our faith. We've known the sadness of being hated and hurt by people. Some of us, like Elijah, have experienced poverty and hunger as well as the sadness of friends and family members dying. Some of us have felt pain in other ways than he did, like the pain of dreadful diseases and injuries.

It is easy, from the outside, to say that it could be worse and that other people are going through even harder times. But when you're in the middle of it, you see your problems and you don't see any way out. It seems that no person can help you. You know that the Lord has promised to save you, but all the evidence that you can see seems to say that he isn't doing it. So you doubt his promise.

Doubt is dangerous. If our doubts are not calmed they will ultimately lead us to calling the Lord a liar and losing all faith in his promise. If we do not believe him, we reject everything he has promised to do for us.

Just as it may be helpful to know that everyone goes through hard times, so also it is good for us to realize that we aren't the only ones who have doubts. Even great prophets like Elijah doubted. Just as the Lord forgave Elijah, so also the Lord forgives you for every doubt. And just as the Lord calmed Elijah, so also he speaks his promise to calm you.

We may think that the best thing that the Lord could do to calm our doubts would be to use his almighty power to stop all of our troubles and destroy all who cause them. But that is not how the Lord usually works. Remember, he wasn't in the great wind, earthquake, and fire. He didn't display his power to Elijah by sweeping away his enemies and putting an end to his troubles. Rather, he presented himself in a gentle whisper and spoke his promise to strengthen Elijah to face those troubles. His voice still whispers to you in his Word.

In his Word, the Lord tells you about all that he has done to save you from your worst troubles. The Lord Jesus experienced every trouble during his life and ministry on earth. Yet in spite of those problems, he lived without any doubt in his Father's promises in your place. Jesus also died in your place to pay the penalty for all of your doubts. He rose again from the dead to remove all doubt that he is our Savior. And he has worked faith in us though his gospel message to bring us to believe and not doubt.

The Lord's promise to you is that he has forgiven your sins, he will strengthen you to overcome all of the troubles that you experience in your life, and he will bring you through all of them to heaven, where there are no troubles at all. These gifts are yours through the gentle whisper of his gospel message. To human ears, gentle whispers may sound wimpy. But this is the most powerful promise ever made! God loves to show his power through humble means, including simple words written on the pages of a book and spoken by Christians, even those who have their own troubles.

So don't go looking for the Lord in impressive displays of power. Rather, listen for his gentle whisper. But don't just sit around and wait for the Lord to speak to you. Go to the place where he has promised to whisper to you. Read the Bible. Come to church. This is where you hear the Lord speaking. This is where you are in his presence. This is where you will hear his promises. He doesn't whisper in our ears apart from his Word. That was something unusual that he did for his prophets, which he hasn't said he would do for you and me. Yet he always whispers to our hearts through his Word. He has guaranteed that he will do that for everyone.

Are your troubles worse than everybody else's? Probably not, although it is possible that they are. No matter how bad they are, though, they are not so bad that the Lord can't save you from them. He has saved you from them in the past and he will strengthen you to face them in the future. To describe the Lord's Word as a whisper may, at first, make it sound weak. But it is how he gives us his strength. The Lord whispers in his Word to calm and strengthen you.