Elijah - When the Passion Runs Out

Elijah was an incredible prophet of God. Bold. Fearless. Full of passion and vitality. But something happened to Elijah; something that seems to happen to many of us as we pursue the path God sets before us.

In 1 Kings 18 Elijah took on King Ahab and all of the false prophets operating among God's people. Mount Carmel served as the "OK Corral" for this showdown. It was 850 against 1. All the people were there to see who would prevail.
The challenge: prepare a sacrifice, then see who's God would bring the fire. After enduring Elijah's derision all day long as they waited for an answer from Baal and the false gods of the prophets, the people witnessed the power of the true and living God.
Elijah built a simple altar, then prepared his sacrifice. Then, with a cocky kind of swagger about him, he told the people to pour four barrels of water over the sacrifice, the altar and the wood. To be sure they got the point, he did it twice more, soaking everything entirely. At the time of the evening sacrifice Elijah prayed a simple prayer calling on God to prove Himself to the people. Fire flashed from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones of the altar, and the water with which they'd soaked everything. When the people saw it, they fell on their faces and called upon God. Elijah commanded that the false prophets be bound, and he slew them all.

What a day, huh? The payoff for Elijah's passion was miraculous and caused repentance to break out among God's people. He should have been stoked, right?
But he wasn't. In fact, a few verse later we find the prophet laying under a juniper tree in the wilderness asking God to take his life. The passion he'd exhibited on Mount Carmel had evaporated in the face of resentments and threats. It's kind of funny. It only took a woman with a big mouth and a bad attitude to do what 850 false prophets couldn't do.

Was Elijah depressed? Maybe. Just feeling sorry for himself? Definitely. Whatever he went through, it was obvious he'd lost his passion. What do you do when the passion is gone?
Elijah didn't need another Mount Carmel experience. He didn't need to find somewhere to preach or a good church to get involved in. A fellowship dinner wasn't going to help.
Only God, who implants passion in a man to begin with, can restore passion lost.

It happens, you know. Life is filled with ups and downs. High times come and go. When you loose the passion, don't go looking for 'big' and 'loud' to get it back. Instead, listen for a 'still small voice.' Let Him speak to you. Let Him refresh you in His Presence. It's only there in the Presence of the Lord that your heart can be ignited once again.