Great Success to Great Fear

Ever had the experience mentioned in the title of this post? One minute you feel good about something, you see God work, you think something was accomplished…then the next minute, fear creeps in? Why is that?

I’ve shared God’s message with a group of women, and believed in my heart I said what He wanted. Then, after it’s over, I wonder if I said anything I shouldn’t. Did I distort the Truth, or take it out of context? I fear ever getting another opportunity to share with women! Even God’s prophets experienced this.

This past week, my daily Bible reading plan took me to 1 Kings 18-19 and the story of Elijah, a prophet of God, and his confrontation with the idolators of the Baals. King Ahab was ruler over Israel and there was a severe famine in the land. Elijah shows up to confront Ahab for his obvious lack of obedience to God’s commands. He had allowed this multiple-god worship in his kingdom.

Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to a showdown to see whose god is really God. The outcome showed without a doubt, there was one true God and He was sovereign. It was time for those who claimed to follow God to get off the fence and fully commit to Him and His commands.

I had a similar experience in my early twenties. I was on an infertility journey and was seeking God in a deeper way. He said to me (in my heart, not audibly) to get off the fence. Either fully commit or walk away from my shallow faith. We know that once we give our hearts to Christ, nothing changes our destination. But, the deeper we go in life with Him, the more fruitful and powerful our lives become…for His glory. It was time for me to stop saying I was a Christian and begin truly living as one.

What Elijah was saying to the people was, “you can’t have it both ways”. You can’t say you follow God and also follow other gods! Their indecision to live full out for God led to idolatry. That can happen to us as well. (For a great study on this, check out Kelly Minter‘s study, No Other Gods!)

SO, back to Elijah. Once he had proven God’s sovereignty and the people all proclaimed, “The Lord, he is God! The Lord he is God!” (1 Kings 18: 39), rain began to fall on the dry land. But the very next thing that happens in chapter 19 is a message from Jezebel (wife of Ahab) that she was out to get him. Immediately, Elijah went from the “Mount Carmel-top” to the pit of fear! It seems he didn’t trust the God who provided what he needed before the idolators to now provide protection from Jezebel.

He prays to die! He sits down and just gives up. Ever been there? I have. But look at the rest of that chapter and see what God did. He sent an angel to provide food and water so Elijah could regain his strength and then walk 40 days and 40 nights to another mountain, Horeb, the mountain of God! Wow, talk about a roller coaster between these two mountains!

For me, when I am in that valley of fear, His Word is the food and water I need most. His manna that provided EVERYTHING I need to live for Him. Only then can I continue to serve Him faithfully.

If you are in a season of wanting to give up serving Him, ask Him to fill you with His power through His Word and daily walk wherever He sends you!

P.S. In case you don’t know the “rest of the story”, read 2 Kings 2 and watch was God does for Elijah as Elisha succeeds him as God’s prophet! SO rich!

Banner photo by krakenimages on Unsplash