1 Kings 19:15-18 — And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

There’s a little boy sitting under a tree. His arms are wrapped around his knees, his knees are pulled up to his chin, his head is down. This kid has had it with the world. Everything’s going wrong, the world hates him, and he’s fed up. A man comes by. It’s his dad. “Hey buddy, what’s up?” “I’m fed up. Nobody likes me, and I keep getting picked on.”  “Well that’s too bad. Are you sure? Trust me, things are going to get better. It’s going to be fine. You’ll have friends soon.”
That’s the story. Abba Father sees Elijah beaten down by everything that’s happened. He’s tried so hard, but people just don’t seem to get it.

And then the magic happens …

The Lord opens Elijah’s eyes to what he hasn’t been able to see around him, and let’s him know that help is on the way. He doesn’t promise that everything is going to be perfect. In fact it looks like there’s a lot more work ahead. But at his lowest point, Elijah gets a boost from the Lord — even though he hadn’t even thought to turn to him and look for it.

So how is it with you? How is your day, or week, or month, or year going? Are you in one of those stretches when it seems that everything that could be against you is  against you, and if there’s anything that hasn’t gone wrong it’s because it’s just about to? I know what those times are like. In fact I doubt if there’s anyone who doesn’t.  Being a Christian doesn’t exempt you from the uphill struggle either. There’s a reason Paul talks about being “in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;“. There’s a reason for Peter to say “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.“. 

Life is tough. But if you hang in there with God, he will provide help when you most need it. Help to endure. So hang on — no quitting!