In the jungle, a strange plant can be found. It is called the strangler fig. This plant starts as a tiny seed dropped by a bird on to a tree trunk. The seed puts out threadlike roots through which it gets nourishment from the air. At first the strangler fig is small and looks harmless, but it grows very quickly. Soon it has shoots going both up into the air and down into the soil. Large leaves develop which keep light from the tree. Its roots entwine themselves around the tree trunk, stealing nourishment from it. The strangler fig gets bigger and bigger. It becomes stronger and stronger. Gradually it strangles the tree to death. (https://www.abeka.com – extracted from a part of a 3rd grade lesson given to our sons many years ago)
Have you ever been tempted to either doubt yourself, or the circumstances that life has placed you into? I know that I have more often than I wish to recount. Doubt is very powerful and can be equally destructive if not tempered by faith in God. When unchecked, doubt is a lot like the strangler fig.
In today’s thought, I would like to talk about one of the Bible’s greatest prophets, Elijah, who also dealt with the battle between faith and doubt in a challenging set of circumstances. In yesterday’s thought about “anxiety” and the need for “prayer” in order to gain God “peace,” I concluded by quoting James 5:16 – “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous person produces results.”
Providentially (I did not know what today’s topic was yet), that verse is referencing the prophet Elijah. We know this because in the next two verses James goes on to say that “Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops” (vs. 16-17).
An interesting note is that Elijah is not someone we readily associate with doubt. More often, we associate his fiery biblical character with the powerful miracles in which God used him (google miracles and Elijah). However, if you take a minute and read 1 Kings 19:9-18, you will quickly see that Elijah struggled with doubt, and he was very much a “human being, even as we are.”
In vs. 9, we find Elijah alone, hiding in a cave, and racked with feelings of self-doubt and fear. Why? Because he had a contract out on his life! After the great victory at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18 – multiple miracles performed), Queen Jezebel was not impressed and had issued a death warrant against Elijah. In a time when Elijah should have had faith because of God’s power, he had doubt.
It is here, in vs. 9, that we find God meeting Elijah at his place of need. We know that God asks Elijah, “What are you doing here?” We know that Elijah then enthusiastically responds by giving God a laundry list of excuses why he is there. And we know that God spoke to Elijah in a “gentle whisper” – not the way Elijah expected after all the great miracles he had witnessed (vs. 11-12).
If we carefully read I Kings 17-19, there are three relevant and pertinent faith lessons I believe we can extract from these chapters:
- First, evil will always loose to that which is Good and Holy. No, it may not happen when or how we think, but that which is from God will always win. On Friday, we will celebrate Good Friday. This is the day that Jesus declared, “It is Finished!” Because of Jesus’ blood, we share in the ultimate victory over evil!
- Second, always keep the faith and do not let doubt rule the day. Because Elijah doubted, he forgot God’s power and he ran away scared and full of doubt. God did not forget him and met him in his place of need despite his doubt. God sees us where we are at right now. He knows all of our doubts, fears, and frustrations. I believe He is reminding us to “Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His loving kindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments” (Deuteronomy 7:9). For us today, also know that, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He will meet you at the place of your need.
- Third, and finally, God will always speak to you, but it may not be in the way you think it should be. Elijah looked for God in the wind, the earthquake, and the fire. God came to him, however, in the form of a gentle whisper. The bottom line is that in the same way Elijah was battling against the power of evil, so are we. Doubt is like the strangler fig…it comes like a seed dropped into our lives, it grows, and, if allowed, it destroys. Pray and trust that God will speak to you in His time and His way. In opening scene of the movie, The Gladiator, Maximus turned to the Cavalry and told them to “Hold the Line!” The Apostle Paul admonished the Ephesians when he said, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then…” (Ephesians 6:13-14). USACE, hold the line! Blessings,
Chaplain Brad Baumann