So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 1 Kings 19:8
Horeb is also referred to as Mt. Sinai. The place where God hid Moses in a cave while he passed by. The cave where Elijah spent the night may have been the same place (verse 9). Certainly, it was in a similar area. Elijah in his discouragement went back to the foundation of his faith.
Likewise when we’re discouraged remembering the past and getting back to basics is a good idea. We can call to mind how we came to a place of faith, the difference God has made in our lives since we started following him and the answers to prayer we’ve had on our faith journey. We can remind ourselves of the basics of our faith—that God loves us, sent his Son to die for us and has promised us a future inheritance.
We can also remind ourselves that during times of discouragement our perspective becomes distorted. Elijah felt like he was the only one who was still being faithful to God. Yet God tells him there were seven thousand who hadn’t bowed down to Baal (verse 18). Since discouragement isn’t God’s intention for us the thoughts we have during these times are usually not accurate. There are times I have to tell myself, “I wouldn’t be having these thoughts if I weren’t so tired.” Sometimes a good sleep is an answer to discouragement.
Other sources of reassurance are worship, meeting with God’s people and reading his Word. Worship takes the attention of ourselves and reminds us that God is all we need.
So remember Elijah and be encouraged.
