Trust the whisper of God’s Word - 1 Kings 19:9-21

The prophet Elijah had been dealt a tough hand. He was called to serve in some of Israel’s darkest days. Ahab was the most wicked king Israel had seen. His wife, Jezebel, had led them into Baal worship while hunting down the Lord’s prophets. For three and a half years, the nation had suffered under a devastating drought and famine as the Lord called his people to repentance.

But then, just a few days earlier, came what should’ve been a monumental success. On Mount Carmel, the Lord answered Elijah’s prayer with fire from heaven, consuming both the sacrifice and the altar. It was a stunning victory over the false prophets. Surely this would change everything. But it didn’t. The people's hearts remained largely unchanged, and Jezebel only intensified her threats against his life. Instead of spearheading Israel’s revival, Elijah found himself on the run for his life, hiding out in a cave hundreds of miles from where God had called him to serve. This morning in our sermon text, we meet a man grappling with doubt. Today we will see how God answers Elijah’s doubt, and our similar doubts, with assurance to trust the whisper of his Word to restore weary servants and raise up the next generation.

God knew exactly how his weary servant was feeling. And so we’re told, “the Word of the Lord came to him,” saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He knew why he was there. He didn’t ask this question for his own benefit, but for Elijah’s. The Lord was inviting him to realize that he had run away from the very work he’d been given to do. Rather than recognizing this call to repentance, Elijah goes all-in on complaining, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty.” In other words, “Lord, I did my part. I served faithfully, and what was the outcome? The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword.” A people who reject you. A people who’ve defiled your places of worship. A people who want to kill me and all your prophets—that's what I have to show for all my hard work. In fact, “I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” Woe is me!

Elijah was wallowing in self-pity because he was looking at outward appearances. He was measuring success in God’s Kingdom by what he could see. If the people were still worshiping Baal… if Ahab and Jezebel were still sitting on the throne… if reality wasn’t what I expected it to be, then something must be wrong. Only he’s quick to say, “It isn’t my fault. I’ve done my part.” Beneath the prophet’s weary complaints was an accusation: “God, you are not governing your Kingdom as you should be.”

And as it turns out, the tempter hasn’t really changed his strategies over the course of a few millennia. Just a few weeks ago, at Messiah, we hosted a soccer camp. We had volunteers from the church and from Michigan Lutheran Seminary to help us. We distributed thousands of invitations. I envisioned a camp filled to capacity—50, 60, maybe even 70 kids. Instead, only about 20 came. And to my shame, my first reaction wasn’t gratitude; it was disappointment. Somewhere along the line, I had come up with my own definition of success. We had worked hard, and so, like Elijah, when my idea of success didn’t match reality, well, “God, I did my part…”

I’m sure you’ve experienced this at some point in your life as well. As parents, you’ve taught your children God’s Word, and yet some still wander. As spouses, you’ve tried to love faithfully, and yet marriages still struggle. As a Christian, you've spoken to your friends, neighbors, and coworkers about your faith, yet they remain indifferent. As a congregation, you give and serve, and yet growth seems painfully slow. As members of our synod, despite our best efforts, we still hear reports of declining churches and shrinking numbers. When our expectations of success don’t match reality, we too say, “God, we’ve done our part. Are you sure you’re doing yours? Because if you were, then your Kingdom would be visibly succeeding. If you were, then our lives would be easier.”

But the Lord’s answer for Elijah didn’t make life easier. Rather, the Lord spoke to his weary servant, saying, “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. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.” In these mighty acts, the Lord chose not to reveal himself to Elijah. Elijah already knew that the Lord was capable of mighty deeds. He’d been fed by ravens in a famine. He’d seen the flour and oil never run dry. He’d seen a dead child raised to life. He’d seen fire fall from heaven. Instead, the Lord reveals himself to Elijah in “a gentle whisper.” Not in another dramatic showdown on Mount Carmel. Not for huge crowds to see. Not in replacing Ahab and Jezebel on the throne, but in a gentle whisper full of promises. God says, “Go back the way you came… anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel.” In other words, Elijah, I have been at work all along. My plan never stalled. I already have rulers prepared to carry out my will. A foreign king whom I will use to curb the nation's wicked behavior and a new king in line to preserve my people. Oh, and Elijah, you’re not the last believer. He says, “I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.” God’s kingdom wasn’t hanging by a single thread. Nor was he alone; in fact, there were thousands more just like him. Through the quiet whisper of his Word, the Lord restored his weary servant with the promises that his kingdom was not failing, even when Elijah thought it was. God was still in control.

So too for you, when you find yourself deep in Elijah’s cave, weary, discouraged, doubting if God is really ruling his kingdom wisely, know that God has spoken to you too. The gentle whisper that once came to Elijah has now spoken more fully in Jesus. When we cried, “Woe is me,” Jesus willingly came into this fallen world and took on our humanity and lived beneath the law for us. Where we questioned God’s plan for his kingdom, Jesus said, “Your will be done.” Where we complained that God was not doing his part, Jesus went uncomplaining forth to do his, even when it led to the cross, where, by human interpretation, it looked like defeat. The disciples had fled. The crowds jeered. His only Son hung dying. If anyone had judged God’s kingdom by outward appearances that Friday afternoon, they would certainly have concluded, “God’s plan had failed.” But there, amid apparent weakness and suffering, Jesus spoke again, this time not in a whisper but for all to hear, “It is finished.” There all your sins, including your doubts about God’s wisdom in governing his kingdom, were forgiven. Then, on Easter morning, Jesus rose from the dead, proving once and for all that God’s kingdom never fails, even when it unfolds contrary to our interpretation of success.

And your God still speaks to us today. Not through fire from heaven or dramatic displays of power, but through the seemingly simple, quiet whisper of his means of grace. Through water and the Word: "You are mine." In his body and blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of all your sins. In his Word, promises that God is still in control of his kingdom. The whisper of your God has not fallen silent, and neither have his promises. The same Word that restored Elijah still whispers today to restore weary servants like us.

The whisper of God’s Word not only silenced Elijah’s doubts, it also renewed his strength to serve. The Lord made it clear that Elijah’s work was not finished. There were still 7,000 believers left to serve. Even as he would return to his ministry, the Lord had another promise for him: he would not do it alone. The Lord told Elijah, “anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.” The weight was lifted from his shoulders. God’s kingdom did not rest on one weary prophet, as he thought it once did. The Lord was already raising up the next generation to carry forth the whisper of God’s Word.

At times, are you tempted to feel like Elijah? Like it all depends on you? We look around at our world today, and we worry about the future of the church in this society. Who will be the next pastors? Who will teach our children? What will happen to our congregation twenty years from now? Who will fill the shoes of today's leaders? It can begin to feel as though the future and success of God’s kingdom rest squarely on our shoulders, as if everything depends on us. But it doesn’t. It depends on the God who has not stopped working through the whisper of his Word. The same God who whispered to Elijah powerfully speaks today to raise up the next generation of servants in his kingdom.

Sometimes that whisper sends Christians into lives of faithful service as parents and grandparents, friends and neighbors, nurses and doctors, engineers and mechanics, business owners and civil servants. Through these vocations, God is raising up faithful Christians to serve in his kingdom within their own individual spheres of influence. Other times, that whisper sends some into the public ministry. At our synodical schools—Michigan Lutheran Seminary, Luther Prep, Martin Luther College, and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary—the whisper of God’s Word continues to raise up the next generation of pastors, teachers, and staff ministers. While these schools are wonderful blessings, neither they nor our synod creates servants for God’s kingdom. Rather, it is the working of that still, gentle whisper of the Word, present on those campuses, that strengthens, instructs, and then sends out servants into the kingdom.

Do not be discouraged. You are not the only one left, and the success of God’s kingdom does not rest on you alone. Yes, we look around and see the need for Christian leaders in our churches, teachers in our classrooms, and pastors in our pulpits. Yet we remain confident that God is still the Lord who preserves his Church. He is still building his kingdom and raising up the next generation of Christian leaders. So continue to support those who will come after us. Pray for them. Parents, grandparents, and Christian friends, never underestimate what the whisper of God’s Word has the power to do in a young heart. Encourage them to consider how they will serve their Savior in their future homes, workplaces, and congregations, or perhaps even as future pastors or teachers.

Regardless, trust that God’s plan will be carried out. His kingdom will advance. We can trust the whisper of his Word to restore weary servants and raise up the next generation. Amen.