Introduction:
In our last post I laid out what burnout is by offering some definitions and descriptions here Growing Christian Resources: Identifying Ministry Burnout. In today's post I want to continue exploring this subject by considering the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19 as an illustration of ministry burnout. What triggered his burnout? What did God do to help him reverse its effects? We will explore those questions in posts to follow. Today we want to start by considering how fear drives and leads to burnout. But first, the backstory to Elijah the prophet.
Shouldering the weight of ministry growth and success while trying to keep close to God.
When King Solomon died in 931 b.c., his son Rehoboam became King in Jerusalem and over Israel. His reign became immediately controversial due to his decision to enact policies that were harsher than his father Solomon. Consequently, as God had warned Solomon prior, the kingdom of Israel would divide into two kingdoms. Ten of the twelve tribes would follow Jereboam son of Nebat to establish the Northern Kingdom of Israel or what was also referred to as "Ephraim" or simply "Israel to the North". Meanwhile, the tribes of Judah and the small tribe Benjamin remained with Solomon's son, Rehoboam, at Jerusalem, forming the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
We fast forward a century later. Several kings came and went in each respective portion of the divided monarchies of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. Samaria became the capital of the Northern Kingdom.
King Omri, and his more familiar son Ahab would occupy Samaria's throne, introducing unprecedented idolatry and spiritual decline up to that point in the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. In roughly 850 b.c, God called a prophet named "Elijah".
Elijah was a prophet, miracle worker, and reformer. God's call and anointing of the Spirit upon his life made Elijah to be as a bright comet streaking across a dark sky. Not since the days of Moses and Samuel had such a prophet arisen. Ahab and his queen Jezebel were bent on promoting the worship of Baal and Asherah in Samaria and the Northern Kingdom. A clash between Elijah and this false religion was only a matter of time.
Eventually the major occurred. The prophets of Baal, an idolatrous deity introduced by Jezebel into the Northern Kingdom, numbered 450. Elijah challenged them to a showdown to show Israel which deity was the true one in 1 Kings 18:20-46.
The pagan prophets cried out to Baal to no avail. Yahweh would answer from heaven with fire, consuming the altar and sacrifice built by Elijah. One of the greatest victories recorded occurred, solidifying Elijah as a prophet par excellence and proving Yahweh as the true and living God. Elijah had done the right thing, but soon he was going to experience wrong treatment.
All of the activity and efforts by Elijah had increased over the prior three years. It accumulated to a victory, followed by Elijah himself crumbling under the threat from Jezebel for his life. It is upon entry to 1 Kings 19 that we pick up Elijah's burnout in action.
Ministry burnout in action - fear is the fountain of burnout
So, what happened to Elijah? How did he find himself fleeing for his life from the threats of a wicked queen whose false religion he had just confronted and defeated?
Fear-based reaction. 1 Kings 19:1-3
Notice what we read in 1 Kings 19:1-3 "Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, 'So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.' 3 And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there."
Did you catch that little phrase in 1 Kings 19:3? "He was afraid". Fear is the mirror opposite of faith. Hebrews 11:1 reminds us about faith, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the men of old gained approval." Faith operates on what is unseen by the five senses, trusts in God and His Word, and has confidence that God will work all things according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). If we were to characterized fear-based living, it is opposite of faith. It is the antithesis of what we see in Hebrews 11:1. We could characterize fear by playing it off as the opposite of the faith we read about in Hebrews 11:1,
Fear is the substance of things despaired for, basing its evidence off of what can be seen.
No doubt, Elijah had become wearied and harried in the frantic pace his ministry had taken. God was working through Elijah and no doubt the victory over the prophets of Baal proved itself as a high point in the entirety of the Old Testament narrative. Still, fear and its close allies - anxiety, doubt, and worry - had gripped Elijah.
Fear is the fountain head of ministry burnout
When fear rolls in like a fog in the midst of our fatigue and neglect of rest in the God who called us to do His will, we become vulnerable. Fear spawns anxiety, which is terror of things from my past; doubt, which is an unsettledness of whatever God is doing in the present; and worry, which is uncertainty about what lies ahead with an attempt to take control.
Why do I say fear is at the root or fountain of burnout? We're afraid of no longer being successful. We're afraid no one else is with us. Fear of rejection. Fear of hurt. We're afraid God has somehow forgotten us. We're scared that what we've done for God will result in consequences that will hurt us or others dear to us.
Fear comes from the enemy of our souls (2 Timothy 1:7; 1 Peter 5:8) and from the frailty of our flesh operating in faith that has been strained to its utmost limits. Such fear can cause us to keep doing more, since fear of rejection or terror of what others may say clouds our vision of what God has for us at the present. We will look in later posts about how Elijah's burnout unfolded and how God helped Him work through it.
Closing thoughts: Reflecting on Scriptures that remind you that God is with you.
If you are a follower of Jesus Christ and are serving Him in any capacity, one of the greatest deceptions can be that God has somehow left you high and dry. We find God telling His people to not be afraid over 200x in the Bible. Simply reminding ourselves of who He is and what He has said in His Word can quell the fear that threatens to undo us. In the process of reading these Scriptures below, perhaps you'll acknowledge that you are burning out or heading in that direction. Recognizing the fears that hold us hostage can help us in the recovery process of ministry burnout. For now, let me close with the following Scriptures of comfort.
Matthew 14:27 "But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Luke 12:32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom."
John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline."
Hebrews 13:6 "so that we confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”
In the next post I'll continue on with our look at Elijah's moment of burnout. We will consider how fatigued Elijah had become, and how fatigue in any sort of service to God and people can exacerbate circumstances that lead to burnout. Stay tuned!
