Morning Devotional
June 4, 2005
"Recovering From Burnout" (Part 4) 
    by Don Emmitte

"Go out and stand before me on the mountain," the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He replied again, "I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I alone am left, and now they are trying to kill me, too." Then the LORD told him, "Go back the way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. Then anoint Jehu son of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet. Anyone who escapes from Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and those who escape Jehu will be killed by Elisha! Yet I will preserve seven thousand others in Israel who have never bowed to Baal or kissed him!" (1 Kings 19:11-18 NLT).

 

There are two final steps in overcoming burnout. Fourth, Elijah waited on the direction of God for his life. He wanted to experience the presence of the living God. He knew without this encounter, he would not have the strength to go on. For us, this probably means dedicating ourselves to time in prayer, the reading of scripture, and connecting again with spiritual friends. Often we are like Elijah, wanting and expecting to see God in the dramatic and awesome revelation of his power. Yet more often than not, God’s presence in our lives is revealed in more subtle ways as we submit ourselves to him and wait for his guidance. This frequently comes to us through the words and companionship of a trusted friend; a sermon spoken as if it were just for us; a well timed song’s message which we need to hear to awaken a spiritual memory; a piece of Scripture we read or remember which speaks directly to our need; or a bit of especially relevant reading material we “just happen across” as we are waiting for God to show his will in our lives. God’s “still small voice” can be heard, but only if we seek him and are open to his many ways of blessing us.

 

Finally, Elijah left that place and invested himself in the future. Elishah carries on Elijah’s great faith and ministry so God’s work goes on after Elijah returns to God. Often the cause of burn out is our own misguided and unbalanced sense of indispensability. When we invest ourselves in others, we let God remind us that his work will go on without us and after we are gone. While there is no magic formula for a return from burn out, we need to realize God has done a great work through others after they have collapsed under the weight of life. He can do that work in us as well. The charred remains or our present can often be the beautiful place of God’s redeeming work if we will seek him and let him restore life after burnout.