For What?

He (Elijah) came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life.” (I Kings 19:4).

The prophet Elijah was no wimp. He championed the message of God to a people who had turned against the Lord. He challenged 400 priests of Baal to a showdown about who truly is God.

Elijah had served his God and his nation with faith and fury. But his conviction and passion were gone. He was disgusted, discouraged, and depressed.
“I have had enough, LORD!”

Why feel defeated after so much success? The answer lies in something we can relate to – a powerful sense of futility. Disheartened, Elijah was asking himself, “For what?”

The same question has been asked by troops returning from places where they worked feverishly to carry out their missions, risked their very lives, and saw comrades fall. Coming home, it seemed America didn’t care. And the people they had protected were still at risk.
Wasn’t it Jesus who said that wars and rumors of wars will take place until the end of time? So, what’s the use of confronting enemies? Why risk one’s life when there will be no end of war?

For that matter, will any of our efforts accomplish something that will last? Won’t we, and most everything else, turn to dust? All of our hard work and planning: “For what?”
The Lord God shocked Elijah out of his misery by asking: “What are you doing here Elijah?”

No self-pity allowed! No attempt to convince him that he had accomplished much good. In the same way that a sergeant may straighten out the complaining private, so God informs Elijah, “Stop feeling sorry for yourself! You have a mission to accomplish. Get going!”

The Savior God is still in control. His will certainly will be done. His kingdom will come. We are not God. We have no way of knowing what all is taking place. Our vision is limited. Our judgment is flawed.

His strength overruns our weakness. His victory wipes out our failures.

Faithful service is never for nothing. If you’re feeling like Elijah, struggling with the question, “For what?”, join us for one of our weekend services. Get a shot of spiritual adrenalin to keep up the good fight that is never without success!

Saturday evening worship: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning worship: 10:00 am

This devotion was written by Pastor Paul Ziemer, WELS National Civilian Chaplain
To receive his weekly devotion, log on at http://wels.net/military