our children. There are hardships in our work and other areas of life. There is no greater problem we face, however, than the one which plagues the entire human race. I refer to sin which can be the cause of all types of fear, guilt and other basic facets of life. The Holy Spirit desires to help each believer to develop his personality to the point of spiritual maturity, bringing us to the stature of our Lord Jesus Christ. A psychiatrist was heard to ob serve that there are more people in the world who are neurotic than we realize. Emotional stress is so common that hospital officials tell us that there are three quarters of a million patients in mental hos pitals annually. If facilities were available, the number would be closer to twice that. Medical socie ties estimate that at least 10,000 people are seriously neurotic. The stresses of life take their toll. The pace of life grows more frantic each passing day. There is no better book on men tal health in all the world than the Bible. In I Kings 19 we find Elijah the prophet facing a real emotion al stress. Here is one of God's choice servants at the depths of despondency. He faces a deplor able condition and is filled with doubts. He has reached the point where he wants to die. Under a Juniper tree he pleads for God to take him home. What could bring such a spiritual giant to this posi tion? Elijah had just come through one of the most critical tests of faith and courage in his entire pro phetic career. He had waged that contest with the false prophets of Baal. God gave hirq the victory in full view of the house of Israel. The
We must not be envious of the wicked. The day is coming when we will be in the presence of the Lord forever. What a glorious and wonderful day that will be. wicked Baal worshippers were put to death. When KingAhab married the idolatrous Jezebel she detered her husband from the teachings of God. Ahab left Jehovah and fol lowed after Baal. He even erected a temple for Baal in Jerusalem (I Kings 16:32). Elijah infuriated evil Ahab and Jezebel. He exposed the foolishness and folly of Baal-wor- ship. Retaliation was not long in coming. Jezebel vowed to destroy Elijah (I Kings 19:2). She was a wo man of extreme passion and pow er, exerting tremendous influence over her husband as well as the citizens of Israel. No doubt many of the people were afraid of their heathen queen. To show that she meant business Jezebel had already killed many of the prophets of the Lord (I Kings 18:13). Poor Elijah! He knew the terror of this diaboli cal woman. Cringing with fear he flees for his life into the wilderness (I Kings 19:3). Here was a sudden impulse to get out of the range of danger. It is hard to realize that the man who successfully defied and defeated 450 false prophets could become so terrified by the threat- enings of a single woman. Often we find that there is a spir itual decline following a spiritual victory. Any preacher knows that Page 47
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