Countering Chaos and Depletion

READ: 1 KINGS 19; MATTHEW 11:28-30

Elijah is arguably one of the fiercest, most epic prophets of the Old Testament. God worked through him in so many ways. Called fire out of the sky? Yep. Raised the dead? Yep. Repeatedly matched wits with the evilest king in the historical nation of Israel? You know it.

But after a particularly public—and victorious—confrontation with idolatry, when he was directly threatened with death, Elijah got spooked. He took off, curled up, and wanted to die. He was convinced he was all alone, and that the weight of God’s call was just too much to carry.

While there are so many great elements to this story (including an angel reminding him to sleep and eat—which is terrific advice when we feel empty), I want to point out what else he did: he ran to the mountain of God and hid in a cave. Natural disasters raged outside, and for a time, he didn’t engage. He stayed hidden in God, knowing he had nothing in his own strength to give, that he was empty, facing his own internal disaster. He waited, until God called him out in a whisper.

As believers, there will be times when we face battles God has called us to— when we experience God working tremendous victories, even—and we’ll feel absolutely depleted and exhausted by them. There will be times when we’ll need reminders to sleep and eat and take care of our bodies—because we just don’t have the energy. Times when we need to hide out in God and trust that not every disaster or crisis is our responsibility to fix. That’s not apathy; it’s discernment.

Remember, only Jesus can be the Savior—and He’s already done everything that was needed through His death and resurrection. He will teach you to be wise in overwhelming seasons—to draw near to God and wait for the chaos in your soul to still, so you can hear Him whisper truth for what comes next. He has not abandoned you. • Abigail Aswegen

• When have you felt the most empty and depleted? It’s normal to feel this way, especially after intense trials or even intense victories. Feeling exhausted after serving the Lord doesn’t mean you failed, and it doesn’t mean you didn’t do it right. In these moments, Jesus invites us to come to Him and rest. Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can know that He is always with us, always ready to give us comfort and strength. Consider taking a moment to talk to Him about whatever is weighing on you today.

• When the problems of the world or the people around you feel too big, who is a trusted Christian in your life who can help you discern when it’s time to act in faith and when it’s time to rest?

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NLT)