“You may not think a great victory would be exhausting, but it’s not uncommon to find yourself in a valley of fatigue after you’ve experienced success on the mountaintop.”- Kyle Idleman
“At the time of the sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: . . . ‘Answer me, LORD, answer me, so the people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.’ Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, ‘The LORD — he is God! The LORD — he is God!’ “- 1 Kings 18:36-39 (NIV)
As Kyle Idleman moves on in Chapter 5 of When Your Way Isn’t Working, he looks at six factors that contributed to Elijah’s fatigue.
1. Extended isolation. Spending a lot of time by yourself may sound replenishing. And perhaps that option works for a time. However, Pastor Idleman observes, anyone who’s spent much time by themselves knows the tiring effects of such extended isolation.
2. Difficult conversations. Most of us try to avoid difficult conversations. Because they drown us emotionally. Elijah had a hard conversation with King Ahab.
3. Strained relationships. Certainly, King Ahab and Queen Jezebel loathed Elijah. In addition, many of Elijah’s own people blamed hm for the drought. Yet, Elijah simply obeyed God. But it’s tiring when this obedience upsets the people around us.
4. Prolonged uncertainty. Even when we see the end to our adversity in sight, it’s still hard to go through. And it’s even harder when we possess no knowledge of how long our suffering will last.
5. Spiritual warfare. Elijah’s circumstances required tremendous faith. Hence, this incredibly tense situation left the prophet emotionally and spiritually drained.
6. Physical exertion. Finally, to top it all off, Elijah ran eighteen miles. When you push through a challenge, you hope beyond hope that relief waits on the other side. Above all, that saps your energy and leaves you feeling empty.
Today’s question: What Bible verses lift you out of a valley of fatigue? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The fatigue alarm goes off”
