NOW, O LORD, TAKE AWAY MY LIFE

The best of men are only men at the best. From the Bible this can be illustrated many times. Here is the hero of Mount Carmel running away from the woman he had defied. On Carmel he stood alone for the God of Israel, and he triumphed. What could have gone wrong to cause such a complete change?

This prayer has to be looked at in the context of Elijah’s depression. He is not standing before the people now but sitting under a juniper tree. Dark depression has taken the place of courageous confrontation of Jezebel’s prophets. Yet before we criticize, let us look within our own lives, for circumstances can so easily spoil our prayers. Elijah had lost his way, and it reminds us that we cannot always be on the mountain top.

Elijah asked that he might die. He began to remind the Lord of his faithfulness. ‘I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away’, v. 10. He felt his ministry was over and that to continue was pointless. What a sad picture, yet there are lessons we can learn from it. What kind of prayer was this?

It was a self-centred prayer. The heart of it was ‘I’. The moment a servant of God looks only at himself, trouble begins. Even worse, Elijah took his eyes off God and forgot that Carmel was a God-centred experience. Prayer can never succeed if self is at its centre. God is greater, cp. 2 Cor. 1. 8-10.

But also, it was a misguided prayer. It was not for Elijah to say when his life should end. He said that he was the only one left, but God reminded him that there were 7, 000 who had not bowed the knee to Baal. Depression can play sad tricks with our minds. God will never abandon those who faithfully witness to His name, 2 Tim. 4. 16, 17.

Finally, it was an unanswered prayer. Think of what would have happened if God had answered his prayer. The ongoing prophetic ministry would have been damaged! Elisha would never have been appointed! And Elijah was not destined to die - he went up in a whirlwind with an accompanying chariot of fire!