YOU CAN COPE With Discouragement!

A Faithful Servant Gets Discouraged

It is not easy to put up a hard fight for the faith. At times, you may get discouraged. Then you may even feel guilty about being discouraged, concluding that a faithful servant of God should never feel that way. Think of Elijah, one of Israel's outstanding prophets.

When Israel's Queen Jezebel, a fanatic promoter of Baal worship, learned that the prophets of Baal had been killed by Elijah, she swore to put him to death. Elijah had faced enemies greater than Jezebel, but suddenly he became so discouraged that he wanted to die. (1 Kings 19:1-4) How could that have happened? he had forgotten something.

Elijah had forgotten to look to Jehovah as the Source of his strength. Who had given Elijah the power to raise the dead and to face the prophets of Baal? Jehovah. Certainly, Jehovah could give him the strength to face the wrath of Queen Jezebel. -1 Kings 17:17-24; 18:21-40; 2 Corinthians 4:7.

Anyone can momentarily waver in his trust in Jehovah. Like Elijah, you may at times take a human view of a certain problem rather than use "the wisdom from above" to deal with it. (James 3:17) However, Jehovah did not foresake Elijah for this temporary lapse.

Elijah had fled to Beer-sheba and then on into the wilderness, where he thought no one could find him. But Jehovah found him. He sent an angel to comfort hm. The angel saw to it that Elijah had freshly baked bread to eat and refreshing water to drink. After Elijah had rested, the angel directed him to travel almost 200 miles to Mount Horeb, where he was to be further strengthened by Jehovah. - 1Kings 19:5-8

At Mount Horeb, Elijah witnessed a faith-strengthening demonstration of Jehovah's power. Then, in a calm, low voice, Jehovah assured him that he was not alone. Jehovah was with him, and 7,000 of his brothers were also with him, although unknown to Elijah,. Finally, Jehovah assigned him work to do. He had not cast Elijah off as his prophet! -1 Kings 19:11-18.

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Watchtower, 2001