One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody. ~ Mother Teresa
Nobody cares, nobody notices.
Their eyes were fixed on grander schemes while you labored in the back, while you gave until your heart ached with unrequited effort.
You were the one moving mountains by grit alone, but no one glanced your way. You were faithful and true, and credit is due. But the cheers still echo for someone else, not you.
Nobody noticed.
Discouragement is a tricky companion. The fickle crowd is its best friend. The illusion that nobody cares can make us blind to the smile of recognition by the only One who matters.
“I alone am left…”
Elijah, according to the book of James, was “a man just like us.” Appointed by God to call his people back to faith, he is cold-shouldered at every turn. Baal is the impotent but beguiling god du jour, and the evil queen Jezebel kills God’s prophets just for fun.
Elijah is a prophet.
God, in his “show-not-tell” way sends no rain for three years–as in, who really controls the life-giving storms? In a dramatic showdown on Mt. Carmel, 450 prophets of Baal, in desperate frenzy of self-mutilation, call on their silent rain-god and lose the contest to Elijah’s calm prayer.
God answers that prayer with drenching, joy-giving rain. Like Rocky, fists lifted in triumph at the top of the stairs, Elijah runs all the way to the palace to share his victory. The King and Queen are unfazed. Hardened hearts will not see God no matter how dramatic his entrance. A price is now on Elijah’s head.
Have you been there? You did everything right, you stayed true to God, and now you are worse off than before.
Deeply discouraged, Elijah runs to the wilderness and feeds on despair:
- God let me down
- God’s people let me down
- I am all alone, nobody cares.
Ah, Elijah, the story isn’t over yet, don’t you see? If life seems to have no happy endings, it’s because the ending has not yet arrived. God assures Elijah there is work to be done, and there will always be a faithful remnant, just the right number of burden-sharers who refuse to bow to Baal.
Read 1 Kings 19 and you’ll find God’s simple solution whenever discouragement hits:
- Nourishing food and rest.
- Time in creation, just you and God.
- Quiet reassurance and a the reminder to keep moving in the direction he has in mind.
It may seem nobody cares, but the story is not over. And God owns the pages ahead.
Is there someone who feels alone and needs your encouragement today?
In our series, An Alphabet Adagio, we are savoring the story of the Bible, our story, alphabetically. You can subscribe to e-mail above so you won’t miss a letter.
