Opening Questions and Prayer
How do you handle stress?
What are some things you do to de-stress?
Why is it sometimes difficult to turn to the Lord first when you are stressed?
Pray that the Lord would guide your time together and show you the areas in your life that you need to turn over to Him.
Read 1 Kings 19:1-4
1 Kings 19:1-4 (All verses are NLT unless otherwise noted)
When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. 2 So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.”
3 Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. 4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”
Why was Jezebel upset with Elijah?
How did Elijah handle the stress in his life?
How could Elijah go from such a great victory (See 1 Kings 18:20-46), to depression so quickly?
What are some ways you forget the works that God has done in your life?
How can you remind yourself daily that God loves you and is there for you?
Read 1 Kings 19:5-10
1 Kings 19:5-10
5 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” 6 He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.
7 Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”
8 So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. 9 There he came to a cave, where he spent the night.
But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”
How did the Lord respond to Elijah asking to die?
What does this passage teach us about God’s character?
How has the Lord provided for you in your time of greatest need?
Why does Elijah feel alone?
What are some ways we can think we are doing all the work and God is doing nothing?
How do you fight back against those feelings?
Read 1 Kings 19:11-14
1 Kings 19:11-14
11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14 He replied again, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”
How does the Lord respond to Elijah’s answer?
What does this teach us about the Lord?
Why does God gently whisper to Elijah?
How does Elijah respond when asked the same question?
What did Elijah miss about this encounter with God?
What can you learn from it?
Read 1 Kings 19:15-18
1 Kings 19:15-18
15 Then the Lord told him, “Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. 16 Then anoint Jehu grandson of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet. 17 Anyone who escapes from Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and those who escape Jehu will be killed by Elisha! 18 Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!”
What does the Lord tell Elijah to do?
How had the Lord been working the whole time even though Elijah didn’t know about it?
Why doesn’t the Lord always reveal to us all the things He is doing in our lives?
What is a way you can trust Him more this week?
How can you stop, lean in, and listen to what God is saying to you each day this week?
Memorize it!
1 Kings 19:12-13
12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Closing thoughts and prayer
Elijah watched the Lord do incredible things on Mount Carmel. He had seen the Lord work before, and King Ahab was against Elijah before, but this time, it’s different for Elijah. He gets discouraged, and loses sight that God loves him and has a plan for him.
Oftentimes after a great spiritual victory, the enemy will do whatever he can to take that away from us. The enemy wants to steal, kill, and destroy and he does that by convincing us that God doesn’t love us or want what is best for us. In those moments, we often believe our feelings over what God says is true.
Pray that the Lord would help you to always turn to Him first when you are stressed. Pray for a stressful situation that you are going through now and ask God to show you how He is working in the midst of it.
Then pray for someone who doesn’t know the Lord. Ask God how you can talk to them this week about His love for them, in the midst of hardship. End your time praying for our country, the leaders, and our church leaders.
Further Study
1 Kings 19:1-4
In light of the miracle that God had done on Mount Carmel, why had Jezebel refused to turn to the true God and continue worshipping false gods?
What are some ways people miss the works of God?
Why does Elijah want death instead of asking God to take out those who would harm him?
When are times you have felt like giving up?
How did you make it through those times?
How did the Lord bring you through those things, even if you didn’t feel like He was there?
If you feel like giving up now, who is someone you can talk to today about those feelings?
1 Kings 19:5-10
What does God ask Elijah?
How would you answer that question for Elijah?
How would you answer it for yourself?
What does Elijah’s answer reveal about how he is feeling?
What are some ways feelings are deceptive?
What are some ways feelings are good?
Is there anything in your life that is causing you to think or feel differently towards God in a way that simply isn’t true?
How can you make sure your feelings line up with God’s truth?
1 King 19:11-14
What is significant about the mighty windstorm, the earthquake, and the fire?
How did God provide what Elijah needed in that moment?
What does this teach you about God?
Why does Elijah give the same answer as before?
Why haven’t his feelings changed?
When are times you’ve seen God work, but it still didn’t change how you felt towards Him because of something else that had happened?
How can you move past those moments of hurt and disappointment when God doesn’t act the way you want Him to?
1 Kings 19:15-18
What could Elijah have done differently during this whole thing to actually seek God instead of feeling sorry for himself?
What are some ways we can become selfish when we forget to spend time with the Lord?
How can committing ten minutes a day to stop, lean in, and listen to the Lord change your perspective on your circumstances?
Who will help you do this?