Elijah had been called by God to be a prophet during one of the darkest times in the nation of Israel. He faithfully proclaimed God’s word in the midst of great opposition and performed mighty works by the power of God. It was from the prayer of Elijah that rain was withheld from Israel for three and a half years (James 5:17). It was from the prayer of Elijah that the widow at Zarephath was miraculously given an unceasing supply of flour and oil during famine (1 Kings 17:8-16). It was from the prayer of Elijah that fire came down from heaven, giving him victory over the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:20-40). Elijah is one of only two people in scripture to have been taken by God to heaven without death. So prominent is He among the prophets that even John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, was prophesied as the one who would go forth in the spirit and power of Elijah. But this very Elijah, after he had fled to the wilderness in fear of Jezebel, asked God to take his life. From this incident, let us learn four things.

First: that even the most eminent of God’s servants can suffer such despair as to wish for death. Elijah prayed, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers” (1 Kings 19:4). He uttered these words shortly after his great victory on Mount Carmel, showing us that reversals sometimes cause defeat to quickly follow victory and sadness to quickly follow joy. How often the best of God’s people have seen in themselves weakness shortly after the exercise of their greatest strength, so on the heels of accomplishment they quickly fall into despair. Jonah also desired death when the comfort of the plant’s shade was removed from him. “Death is better to me than life” (Jonah 4:8), he said, and it is sometimes the case that God appoints a worm to make even his greatest servants realize how easily they can be reduced by the removal of their comforts. The Apostle Paul, speaking of the great adversity he faced, said, “we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life” (2 Cor 1:8). Even the great Apostle was subject to despair from trials and persecution. And who can forget Job, among the most righteous of men in the sight of God, who was so devastated by God’s providence that he asked, “Why is light given to him who suffers; and life to the bitter of soul; who long for death but there is none, and dig for it more than hidden treasures; who rejoice greatly, who exult when they find the grave?” (Job 3:20-22). Were these men of shallow faith who suffered such things? Were they men unacquainted with the comforts of God’s truth? No, these were men of great integrity and faith. Judge not then your brother’s spirituality merely by temporal feelings or words stated in the depths of despair. If the greatest of God’s people have proven themselves to be but dust, are we not so as well? Let us, then, be quick to show compassion and tenderness to the afflicted. Let us be slow to frown upon the despair of another lest God would remove our comforts and make us to learn what it is to eat the dust.

Second: that despair is often the result of personal failure and painful circumstances. Elijah felt his own sin and failure in the sight of God. Even after his great victory on Mount Carmel, he feared Jezebel greatly and failed to trust in God. Though Jezebel could not touch one hair of his head unless God would so allow, he fled rather than stand his ground. In his humiliation, he confessed, “I am no better than my fathers.”-I am made of the same flesh, feeling the same weaknesses, failing in the same ways. The most devout people of God, while quick to overlook the weakness in others, cry over their own weakness before God. So with Elijah: he mourned over his sin and lack of faith-and similarly God’s children, when they fail, are prone to despair.

Elijah also felt the pain of his circumstances. "I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away." (1 Kings 19:14). He felt alone in his zeal for the Lord. He felt the fear of suffering and the gnawing of continued rejection of his message. He hoped for reform as a result of his victory over Baal’s prophets, but instead saw Jezebel strengthen her resolve to take his life and to restore the worship of false gods. God’s people can fall into despair at the thought of a world against them, circumstances that rob them of peace, and unfulfilled desires of the heart. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Prov 13:12), especially when we do not know whether hope will ever be realized.

Third: that premature death by any means is never the proper answer to despair. There is a legitimate sense in which believers desire death. With the Apostle Paul we can say, “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Phil 1:23). While in this tabernacle of the body, we groan, yearning to be clothed with immortality and desiring to be absent from the body and present with the Lord (2 Cor 5:1-8). We seem to be surrounded by trials and persecutions, tragedies and disappointments, sin and death; and there are peculiar times when the waves of sorrow crash over us with no respite. We know that in the heavenly place no such things exist, but only eternal joy in the glorious presence of God. Our longing is to go to be with Him.

But never in scripture is warrant given to accelerate or bring about one’s own demise. The commandment “Thou shalt not kill” applies not only to the murder of others, but also to the murder of self, and it includes all conduct that would unnecessarily hasten death. Elijah knew this truth and would take no action to do himself harm. He knew that God alone determines our times, including the proper time for death. But although he rightly acknowledged God’s sole authority to take his life, he wrongly requested it. He was considering his own pain rather than the glory of God and the needs of others. But thank God that He does not act merely according to our requests, but according to what is needful. Instead of heeding Elijah’s request to die, God told him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus…” (1 Kings 19:15). He gave Elijah the task of anointing the King of Aram, the King of Israel, and the prophet Elisha. So also when we think it best to prematurely depart this life, there is a purpose for which we must remain, and God graciously refuses our requests when we know not what is best.

Fourth: that the proper response to despair is to trust God and to go forth in serving Him. God is the comforter of the brokenhearted. In Elijah’s time of despair in the wilderness, God provided baked bread and water to sustain him. He graciously asked, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9), evoking in the prophet a consideration of his need to trust in God and return to His service. He encouraged Elijah to go forth with the assurance that God’s cause would be successful. He did not rebuke Elijah, nor did He withdraw His kindness from him; and so it is that He gives all of His downcast children mercy and encouragement. As with Elijah, He gives us more to do in His service, making our lives to be of value to others, even when we have failed to value them ourselves. He calls us to trust in Him for the strength that we need and to find in Him our hope. As with Paul, He uses affliction so that “we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead” (2 Cor 1:9). So then, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths” (Prov 3:5,6). Say with Jeremiah, “’The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul; therefore, I have hope in Him” (Lam 3:24).

When the Giant Despair held Pilgrim captive in Doubting Castle, Pilgrim escaped using something that he had all along-the key of promise. It was his faith in God and in the promises that God has made. Are you in despair? Have the waves come upon you so that you have lost your strength and desire to continue? Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Put your hope in Him, and hear Him say, "Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me“ (John 14:1).