1 Kings 19:9-13 * July 8, 2007 * Pentecost 6 * Pastor Jon Bergemann

“It is Well with My Soul

“I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you, won’t you say you love me too.” Ever heard that tune? It is sung by a large, ever smiling purple dinosaur on the children’s television show “Barney.”

I know that Barney has made thousands of children happy. I know that he engages them with fun songs. I know that it is probably a pretty good children’s show. I have absolutely nothing against Barney personally nor his TV show. But I also know that if I hear that theme song one more time, I might lose my mind. J

You see, when one of my nieces was younger, I heard the song no fewer than 10,000 times (OK, maybe I am exaggerating a little. J ) And besides the repetitiveness of the tune, quite frankly – the dinosaur kind of weirded me out. Not because he was purple. Not because he danced. Not even because he told me he loved me and asked me to hug him in every refrain of that song. But what really made me feel a little funny? He was always happy! He was always smiling! He was always a chipper dinosaur! And it just doesn’t seem to be possible to be that happy all the time.

Do you ever have a “Barney” impression of Christianity? Do you ever hear the idea that if you are a Christian, then you and your life should really be fairly happy? Maybe this picture comes to you in thoughts such as these: “If I am a useful, a good, a respectable Christian, then ... I won’t be afraid of pressure ... I won’t be uncertain of my abilities ... I won’t have doubts about my usefulness ... I won’t struggle with depression ... I will be happy ... I will be strong ... I will be happy.”

Have you ever felt that? Have you ever wondered those things? Have you ever flipped through the channels and seen a smiling purple dinosaur or a televangelist with perfect teeth, pressed suit, and flawless never ending smile jumping around on a stage as if he were on a perpetual emotional high of happiness and wondered ... “Is this what I am supposed to be like? Is this what other Christians are like? Cause I don’t feel this all the time.”

If you’ve ever had these thoughts, or ever felt alone, or ever felt like your life was a big parade of problems with no end in sight, or, quite frankly, just wanted to check out of life and get away from it all ... then I have someone that I would like you to meet. His name is Elijah.

You might be thinking, “Oh yeah, another one of those superhero Biblical characters who always had everything together and goes blasting through life’s challenges and glorifying God.” Ha. Not so. He is a mess when we are about to meet him. But we’ll find out that he has the same reason for hope that you and I have.

Before we check in on Elijah, would you pause for a moment and pray with me before we hear his story in God’s Word? Let’s pray. “Dear Lord, we come to you just as we are. All our hearts, all our heartaches, are open to you. Dear Lord, you know what things trouble us in life, and now you want us to know your incomparable power and love in the midst of those troubles. Lord, open our ears, our minds, our hearts to hear and understand your Word. Let your Holy Spirit work through it so that we may see you more clearly. Be with us Jesus, Amen.”

Let’s drop in on Elijah. Verse 9 of 1 Kings chapter 19: “There he went into a cave and spent the night.”

Have you ever spent a night in a cave? I hope not. This isn’t a tourist spot. This isn’t a vacation get away. It is dark. It is gloomy. It is cold. So why is Elijah here? He is low. He is depressed. He has been rejected. He feels like a failure and that there is no point to his life. He feels alone. So he goes to an atmosphere that matches his mood – a cave.

The verse goes on: “And the word of the Lord came to him: ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’”

Did God know why Elijah was there? Of course He did. He is God. He knows everything. So why did God ask him this question? Because he was initiating a crucial step in Elijah’s recovery. He was gradually trying to get Elijah’s brain off of himself and onto his mission. Elijah was to proclaim God’s Word as a prophet. To be out and about. The cave scene wasn’t it. Unfortunately, Elijah seems to have a mental TV set that has one station and one channel - 24/7 he is tuned into the “Elijah show.” He is so focused on himself and his own problems, that he can’t see out at God’s opportunities and up at God’s love. Listen to his own words in verse 10:

“He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.’”

Elijah had a bad day at work just prior to this. He had prayed to God and witnessed God burn up a sacrifice that he had set up. Some false prophets of a false god named Baal tried to do the same thing and failed. It was obvious that God was in charge and that Baal was a phony. It seemed like a banner day in Elijah’s ministry. It might have seemed that a tremendous spiritual revival would take place in Israel, that the temple would be packed with eager worshippers on the next Sabbath. But instead? The wicked King Ahab and evil Queen Jezebel demanded Elijah’s head brought to them ... separated from the rest of his body.

Under the stress of these death threats, something seems to have snapped in Elijah. He went running off into this cave. And in his response to God’s question, we can see a clear insight into his mental and emotional condition. He says “I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

“I am the only one left.” Was he? No. There were more prophets. And as God would tell him later, there were still 7,000 in Israel who still believed in the true God. But Elijah couldn’t see it. Elijah was so pasted with his own pity and drowning in his depression that his grasp on reality was blurred.

Depression does this to people. When you’re depressed it warps all your perceptions of reality. You can’t see how beautiful the sky is. You cannot see the beauty of a baby’s face because all you think of is, “I don’t have a child.” When you’re in that frame of mind, when you’re in that cave, as Elijah was physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, it distorts everything.

So Elijah, who had run away from God and into His cave, needed a reality check. Here it comes.

Verses 11-13: “The LORD said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.’

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’”

What a show of God’s power! Earth, wind, and fire! But where was God? In the “gentle whisper.”

Did he run out of steam after such an initial big display? No. He did this very purposefully. Very deliberately, to show Elijah and us a very beautiful truth about himself.

You see God could have come with an earthquake of fury and a fire of rage to call Elijah back. But instead he came in a whisper. Do you see what that shows us? How does God want to deal with you and me? Not in wrath to make us run but in quiet love to make us long for him. Not to fill our hearts with terror but to win our hearts with tenderness. He quietly calls you and calms you with His presence.

With a gentle whisper, working through the quiet means of his Word and sacraments, he whispers to your trembling heart, “Do not be afraid. I am with you. Do not be afraid, I died for all of your sins, even the ones you feel so ashamed of. Even your pity parties. Do not be afraid, you look perfect to me. Do not be afraid, I rose again from the dead. Do not be afraid, I will never leave you. Do not be afraid, I am holding your life tightly in my nail marked hands, and I won’t let you go.”

Will all your problems magically vanish by being a Christian? Will life be one big party? Will you always be happy? Will you blast your way through all that comes your way? No. Will you have days when you feel stretched as thin as can be? When you feel like crying out to God, “God, not this! God, I know that you tell me you won’t give me more than I can handle, but I am at my end! I didn’t need this latest problem right now!”

Yes. You will have those days. And you might very well feel like Elijah on those days. You might be looking for the nearest cave to run to. But remember: you have the same gentle but powerful voice that is talking to you. It is God’s. Are you listening?

He is talking to you when you open up your Bible and mediate. He is talking to you when you take time for devotion or Bible class. And his voice tells you of someone else who was alone, facing the dark caves of life, but without sin: Jesus. He tells you what Jesus did for you: die and rise. He tells you that Jesus is still here. Still caring. Still having a plan. And that voice, my friends, will make the difference. That voice will call you back, keep you out of the cave, and keep you focused on the strength that only God can give.

Let me share with you a story of a man who could have run into a cave. A man who needed that gentle but powerful voice of our God. His name was Horatio Spafford.

Horatio Spafford was a 43 year old lawyer who lived in a north side suburb of Chicago with his wife, Anna, and his five children. Life was good for Horatio.

But in 1871 his only son died. Could you imagine his pain? Could you imagine how he might have been tempted to go into a cave, so to speak? But he didn’t. He went on.

A few months later, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 consumed Horatio’s real estate investments. He lost his entire life savings. He had nothing. Could you imagine his pain? Could you imagine how he might have been tempted to go into a cave? But he didn’t. He went on.

Two years later, Horatio and his family decided to take a vacation to Europe. However, Horatio was delayed by last minute business. He sent his wife and four daughters on the S.S. Vile Du Havre as scheduled, promising to follow in a few days.

On November 22, 1873 the ship was struck by an iron sailing vessel, and it sank in twelve minutes. 226 people were killed. When the survivors of the shipwreck landed in Europe, Anna Spafford cabled her husband, “Saved alone. What shall I do?”

Could you imagine his pain? Could you imagine how he might have been tempted to go into a cave?

Horatio immediately left Chicago to bring his wife home. And while he was on his journey, sailing near the place of his daughters’ death, he felt low. He felt down. He felt the darkness of the cave of depression setting in.

But then he did something surprising. He took a pen and began to write a poem:

“When peace like a river, attendeth my way,”

(in other words, when life is going well)

“When sorrows like sea billows roll

(this describes when life is tough. He could look out on the sea and see huge waves – remembering the massive waves of sorry that had struck him in life)

“Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.”

It is well with my soul? How could he say this?! Was he so low that he was not mentally stable? Was he irrational with shock? No! He goes on to explain why he can say these words in the next line of his poem:

“My sin – oh, the joy of this glorious thought – My sin, not in part, but the whole, Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more; Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!”

Do you see why he could exclaim “It is well with my soul!”? Do you see why he could get out of the cave? It wasn’t because of his own strength. It wasn’t because of his own good attitude. Rather, he knew that Jesus Christ had nailed all of his sins to the cross! That Jesus Christ loved him and would never let him go, no matter what life threw his way. That forgiveness and heaven could never leave him, no matter what life brought him. And that Jesus Christ would love him in life and in death and in the eternal life to come.

By the way, Horatio Spafford’s words were joined to a melody and produced as a hymn, “It Is Well with My Soul.” Thousands of Christians have sung those words through the years, and we will close worship this morning by singing those words.

By the way, Elijah did get out of that cave and had a great ministry for God.

By the way, you can get out of the cave and stay out of it as well. How? It isn’t your own strength that will do it. It isn’t your great attitude or big smile. It isn’t by singing and lots of hugs. It is Jesus. It is listening to his voice. It is seeing his love. He is the one who will never leave you alone. He is the one who will dry your tears. He is the one who shouts his glory in the power of nature and whispers his love in the corners of your heart.

He is with you today. And he allows you to join Horatio, and Elijah, and me and declare: “I am never alone. My Jesus loves me. It is well, it is well with my soul.” Amen.