So often, we start out well in life, but keeping our spiritual fervour is not easy. It’s easy to be worn down by activity and to become burned out. Elijah experienced this. He had seen God do great miracles by sending fire down on Mount Carmel and sending rain after three years of drought (1 Kings 18), but far from being encouraged by this, in the next chapter, we see him worn out and longing for death. He says, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty’ (1 Kings 19:10, 14) – and he had! – but he also feels pressured by how the Israelites have rejected God’s covenant, torn down God’s altars and put God’s prophets to death with the sword. He feels he’s the only one left and can’t cope with Jezebel trying to kill him. He feels he just can’t take it anymore.
Many of us perhaps feel like this. We started the journey well. We have been zealous for God for years. But perhaps the pressures of life, the trials and hardships we have faced or the difficulties we are currently experiencing, have sapped our zeal and fervour. Maybe we feel like we just don’t see the point of going on anymore. Maybe we feel like Elijah: ‘I have had enough, Lord. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’ (1 Kings 19:4) Maybe we just don’t have any energy anymore and we don’t know how to carry on. Our fuel gauge is on empty.
God can come to us as he came to Elijah, sending rest, sending food, sending angels, sending us the help we need. God worked for Elijah. Elijah had been very zealous for God; he had worked hard for God. But in 1 Kings 19, we see God working now for Elijah, helping Elijah, giving him the support and help he needed. God can do the same for us when we have lost our oomph, when maybe we have lost the joy of the Lord, when we are flagging in faith. Ultimately God is the source of our zeal, and there are times when we have to be like Mary and sit at the feet of Jesus, rather than always being like Martha, being anxious about everything and never stopping. (Luke 10:38-42) Jesus said, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matt 11:28-30, The Message) If we are worn out and burned out, lacking zeal and fervour, God can fill us again by His Spirit and move that fuel gauge from empty to full.
