Elijah is one of the more popular prophets in the Old Testament at ang dramatic incidents na nangyari sa kanyang buhay ay kapupulutan natin ng aral. Kaya in our three-part series beginning today, let’s glean some lessons from Elijah.

… Pagkatapos ng maghapong paglalakad ay naupo siya sa lilim ng isang puno at nanalangin nang ganito: “Yahweh, kunin na po ninyo ako. Ako po’y hirap na hirap na. Mabuti pa pong mamatay na ako.”

1 Mga Hari 19:4

Tapos na ang showdown. Elijah challenged the prophets of the false god, Baal, to see who was truly God. Who among them could bring down fire from heaven? For twelve hours, the prophets of Baal did everything to “wake him up from sleep,” to no avail. Meanwhile, the God of Israel, Jehovah, sent fire from heaven, powerfully demonstrating His answer to the prophet’s call. As a result, the people believed. “When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, ‘The Lord — he is God! The Lord — he is God!’” (1 Kings 18:39, NIV)

Imagine the joy Elijah must have felt then. But when he heard about Queen Jezebel’s threat to have him killed, he fell into depression. Parang nabalewala na ang nakita niyang ginawa ng Diyos para sa kanya at sa pamamagitan niya. Sa sobrang lungkot, nasabi niya sa Diyos: “Mabuti pa pong mamatay na ako.”

Have you also fallen into a depression so deep that you wished that God would just let you die? Hirap na hirap ka na. Kayod-kalabaw ka na pero hindi ka pa rin makaahon mula sa mga pagkakautang mo. Or you just found out that your spouse has been cheating on you with your best friend, making you doubly betrayed. Sa sobrang sakit, gusto mong mawala na sa mundo.

Before you feel ashamed for feeling this way, know that many people also experience bouts of sadness from difficult circumstances. Ang mismong propeta nga ng Diyos na si Elijah ay nakaranas nito.

No need to pretend that everything is OK on the outside when you are breaking apart inside. Come to God and tell Him how you really feel. Just like how He responded to the prophet Elijah, trust that He will not berate you or turn you away.

Bukas, titingnan naman natin kung anong matututunan natin kay Elijah, lalo na kung workaholic ka at laging pagod. Abangan bukas as we continue our series “Lessons from Elijah”.