We might be surprised that God asks Elijah the same question twice (‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ 1 Kings 19:9,13) and gets the same rather self-pitying answer twice. God’s presence does not always instantaneously change our situations. Often, our perspective is clouded and we struggle to move on from hurt and situations which have crippled us. But despite getting 80% of the facts right, Elijah is wrong when he states, ‘I am the only one left’, and this one thing means that his story is not, in fact, the whole truth, however much he may feel it is. God tells him ‘I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.’ (1 Kings 19:18) This is the unseen part of the story, the part Elijah cannot see with his natural eyes. This is the part that requires divine revelation and God’s intervention. This is what happens when we are willing to lay down our opinions and feelings and reservations and doubts and actually listen to God.

God is the God who rescues us from the slimy pit, the mud and the mire, and sets our feet on solid ground. (Ps 40:2) He is the One who delivers us from the overwhelming floods (see Ps 18:16-19) 1 Kings 19:1-18 reminds us that Elijah’s perspective was all wrong. He had forgotten God’s sovereignty and control. In the end, it was not Jezebel who killed Elijah; Elijah was one of the few Old Testament characters to evade death altogether. God’s word came again to him, giving him instructions about whom to anoint king of Aram, Israel and as prophet. Ultimately, Elijah realised both Ahab and Jezebel would not prosper (see 1 Kings 21:17-23). He was given fresh purpose through his encounter with God and we see that God did not answer his prayer to die. He had much greater things left for Elijah to do!

The key to success with God – and Elijah is seen to be a hero of the Old Testament, conversing with Moses and the Lord Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration – is to listen, trust and obey. Elijah did what God commanded him to do. When we have the same responsive attitude as Elijah, our perspectives will be changed and our faith will rise.

This morning in our series exploring the questions God asks us, we looked at the question God asked Elijah twice (‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ 1 Kings 19:9, 13). This chapter sees Elijah at possibly his lowest ebb, despite the great spiritual victories he has won (commanding the rain to stay away for three years, living under God’s direct provision and defeating the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. 1 Kings 17-18) Exhausted and afraid, running away from Jezebel’s promise to kill him, Elijah reaches the point where he asks God to let him die. (1 Kings 19:14) He has had enough and can go no further.

Physical exhaustion can be responsible for much of our mental and spiritual breakdown; God provides for Elijah by giving him rest, food and drink. (1 Kings 19:5, 7) We do well not to ignore the basics of sleep and good nutrition. The psalmist advises us to be still and know that God is God (Ps 46:1), but as Pascal said many years ago, ‘all of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.’ If we spend time with God, trusting in His provision, we are less likely to burn out.

God’s question to Elijah opens conversation. Questions are the way into dialogue. They are the way into communication. And communication is what makes relationships work. Elijah lists his complaints before God, but the only answer God gives is the promise of His presence. When Moses complained that the task was too great for him and he dare not go to Pharaoh, God’s only answer was ‘I will be with you.’ (Ex 3:12) When he went on to ask how the Israelites would believe him when he said God had sent him, God’s reply was to say, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ (Ex 3:14) God does not offer us dazzling solutions, party tricks to impress us or our enemies. He simply offers us His presence; our greatest lesson is to learn that God is enough.

We often comment on the fact that God was not to be found in the wind, earthquake or fire, but in the gentle whisper. The truth is that when God speaks to us we are changed. We have the opportunity to move from despair to hope, from depression to joy, from misery to service. Like Naaman, we often rebel at the mundane nature of God’s help (see 2 Kings 5:11-12), but if we receive His word, our perspective can be changed and our lives filled with new purpose.

In our Bible study tonight, we began to look at the book of Joel, another one of the minor prophets. In the first chapter of this book we see that Israel was facing devastation and loss because of an invasion of locusts. The situation was hopeless; every crop had been ravaged and the country was facing famine and despair. So often, it takes a crisis of this kind of proportion to wake us from our complacency and comfort, to make us realise that independence and control are illusory. The truth is that we are not in control of life and that calamity may only be a breath away. God wants us to live in daily dependence on Him; the call in Joel is one which remains very relevant to today. We must wake up (Joel 1:5), mourn (Joel 1:8), despair, wail and grieve (Joel 1:11) and repent and fast before God. (Joel 1:13-14) This message may not be popular, but the truth is that we cannot rejoice in God unless we have turned back to Him and seen our need for Him.

It’s not known when this prophecy was given, though some believe it was after the exile. The situation was unprecedented – a word we have heard with alarming frequency since the beginning of 2020 – but the response was (and always will be) the same. Whenever crisis comes into our lives, the call is to turn to God. It’s so easy for us to think we are in control of life and to respond to crises with bitterness towards God, treating Him like a sugar daddy whose only purpose should be to bless us. God is always seeking our good, but sometimes we are deaf and prefer our own paths. It can take a crisis to wake us up to how far we have strayed from Him. He calls us always to return to Him, like the Prodigal Son, and to lean on Him rather than on our own understanding.

I felt quite nostalgic yesterday as we held the Summer Fun event in Phoenix Park. My involvement with the park was one of my first experiences of community work, back in the late 1990s and early years of the new century when the site was redeveloped from the former Hickleton Main Colliery. I worked with Groundwork Dearne Valley as a local resident volunteer on the development of the site, which was the first time I’d really been involved in community art on such a large scale. The various sculptures put up have stood the test of time well, looking good yesterday and helping us as Dearne Churches Together to run activities based around the sheep (we told the story of the Good Shepherd and the Parable of the Lost Sheep, did various sheep crafts and looked at Psalm 23) and the dinosaur (looking at how God made everything, including dinosaurs!)

The labyrinth feature in the park (which formed the basis of our meditation on Ps 23) is also dear to me, since my son’s footprints are cast into that.

Community art has obviously played an increasingly important role in my life in recent years, and it was good to have Barnsley Museums with us, discussing how to decorate Elmer the elephant in such a manner that was unique to Goldthorpe. I particularly liked this child’s answer to the question ‘What would bring more joy to Goldthorpe?’ – ‘chocolate trees!’

One of the main joys of community work is getting to work alongside others who share your passion for where you live. Interestingly, one of the staff at Groundwork Dearne Valley has now returned to work for the Dearne Area Team; it’s been a pleasure to renew my acquaintance with Jenny, whose sunny nature and hard work make her an invaluable colleague:

It’s also a sign of my age when one of my son’s contemporaries at primary school is now working with the Dearne Area Team as well and heavily involved with the Shaw Alliance, a local litter-picking force for good!

It’s been a pleasure to work with old friends and to make new ones as part of this collaboration, and my prayer is for these relationships to deepen and for us to be able to work together on other community projects. I’m so grateful for the other leaders and members of local churches who are so involved in their communities. It’s a pleasure to work with them all.

More photos from the Summer Fun event at Phoenix Park yesterday: