Self-Pity

The enemy of our soul whispers things in our ears. He tries to make us think no one cares about us, that we are unloved, and unappreciated. And if we listen to him, he will have us in a miserable state of mind.

If we are not careful, our imagination will run wild. When we’re feeling self-pity, we should read 1 Kings 19. Elijah was a prophet of God. He has just won a great victory over Ahab.

Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, declared that Elijah would die. He had been criticized and threatened before, but this time was different for him. So Elijah went and sat under a juniper tree feeling sorry for himself. He wanted to die.

While sleeping under the tree, two different times an angel touched him and said: “Arise and eat because the journey is too great for thee.”

He arose and went forty days and forty nights. He came to a cave and the Lord came to him and asked him what he was doing there.

“And he said, I have been jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword: and I even I only, am left; and they seek my life to take it away. And he said, Go forth and stand upon the mount, before the Lord, and behold the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and break in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: And after the fire a still small voice.” 1 Kings 19: 10-12.

Elijah had a bad case of self-pity but God didn’t rebuke him, nor strike him dead. He encouraged him to rest then get his eyes off himself and his situation and get his eyes back on the Lord. Self -Pity will make us miserable, we should get our eyes off of ourselves and look to the Lord.