When you have had enough, the Lord is enough for you!

The list of people we are praying for this morning covers a full sheet of paper. The list includes those in the hospital, those struggling with some aspect of their health, many battling cancer and a list of more general prayers. Most, if not all, on the list have had moments when they have said, “I have had enough.” And though this list is long, there are many more private prayers by all of you for yourselves and others asking for relief from countless difficult situations. With all the difficult situations you face, I am sure all of you have also said, “I have had enough.”

Monday, September 11, 2023, will mark the three-and-a-half-year anniversary of COVID-19 being declared a pandemic. By that time, we pray the pandemic will be over because everyone can agree they have had enough of it. When the prophet Elijah began his ministry, his first recorded words were like the declaration of a pandemic we heard on March 11, 2020. Elijah’s first recorded words are found in 1 Kings, 17, 1 … “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” Elijah declared there would be a nationwide drought which lasted three and a half years.

Eventually, the drought allowed for a showdown between the prophet of God, Elijah, and 450 prophets of the false god, Baal, to test which was the true God, and therefore, one who could provide relief from the drought. To see which was the true God, they prepare two bull sacrifices, but did not light them on fire because the one lit on fire by either Baal or the Lord, would be declared the one true God. Elijah let the prophets of Baal go first with calling out to their god and after calling out all day long with no answer, it was Elijah’s turn. Before calling out to God, Elijah had water poured over his sacrifice, then water poured over it again, and finally a third dousing with water. Then, Elijah called out to God and the whole sacrifice was burnt including the bull, wood, stones, dirt, and water. And, in 1 Kings 18, we read, 39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!” Then, Elijah put all the false prophets to death. 41 And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” And, God sent rain ending the drought. When Ahab, the King of Israel, got home and told his wife, Jezebel, what had happened. She was mad at Elijah for killing the prophets of Baal and sent word to Elijah that she was going to kill him. Afraid of her threat, Elijah ran for his life and finally, 1 Kings 19:4 … He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. Elijah had reached his breaking point.

You have a breaking point too. We all have moments that cause us to get upset, yell, throw something, post a long rant or over the top meme, etc. Those moments can be our fault because we failed to meet our own expectations or someone else’s expectations. They also happen when someone attacks us emotionally, physically, spiritually, etc. They even happen when situations beyond our control happen like a pandemic, ice storm, lost job, earthquake, etc. happen. You all have breaking points because of the havoc your own sins bring into your life, or the sins of others, and even the broken sinful world. This havoc you and I live in at times brings us to an Elijah level breaking point that leads you to say, 4 … “I have had enough, Lord. Take my life.” When you reach this level, it means you see no future. You feel like you have no more resources, connections, strength, or answers. Worst of all, you feel like God has reached the end of what he can give you and it is not enough. And if God does not have enough to give you, then there is no future.

After Elijah reached his breaking point, God gave him enough to keep going. After Elijah said, 4 … “I have had enough, Lord… Take my life.” 5 … All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” God provided him with food, but after he ate, he laid down again. So, 7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” So, Elijah ate again, and was strong enough to keep going. And, God gave him the strength to travel 200 miles south to the same mountain God had appeared to Israel at after they were freed from Egypt. There, God made his presence known with a fierce wind that shattered rocks, an earthquake and fire, but God was not in any of those. Last God came in a whisper asking 13 … “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He told God that he had been zealous for him, while the rest of Israel rejected him. 14 … “I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came.” And God gave him instructions on what to do next as prophet and assured him that there were 7,000 in Israel who had not worshipped Baal. Elijah continued to serve God and was spared from death when God took him to heaven in a fiery chariot.

When you have reached your breaking point, God is still enough for you. Often, comparing yourself to Elijah’s despair hits home, but you are left wondering when your fiery chariot to heaven will appear. Honestly, when you are at the point of crying, 4 … “I have had enough, Lord… Take my life.” Most of us would settle for riding in a broken down rusty, three-wheel (because one fell off) Radio Flyer red wagon if it meant we were going to heaven. Even without the fiery chariot, God is enough for you when you have reached your limit. In John 6, Jesus said, 48 “I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. (This is not a reference to the Lord’s Supper because Jesus had not yet given it to them) This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” In John 6, Jesus fed thousands with five small loaves and two fish, and for forty years he kept hundreds of thousands alive with manna. Hunger on a hillside or food for forty years is not the limit of God’s power. Jesus is bread that keeps you alive forever. Your final breaking point is death, and you get there and even ask for it because of sin. But Jesus wants you alive. So, he gave his life on the cross to save you. His sacrifice was enough to pay for all your sins leaving you without guilt or fear of God’s punishment. His resurrection is the good news of your future beyond this broken life. Your life as a believer always has meaningful purpose even when suffering because you get to point others to Jesus.

Even when your life is threatened by someone else or your own thoughts, your eternal future cannot be taken from you. When you are tempted to give into those thoughts of despair, to run and hide, to lash out at others or just stay in bed hoping the world will pass you by all that brokenness comes from losing sight of God. It happened to Elijah when he was more afraid of an angry evil queen than he was of God who sent fire from heaven to completely burn up a waterlogged sacrifice, but God was enough for him. God is enough for you. In Ephesians 4, Paul wrote that you were 30 … “sealed for the day of redemption.” The Holy Spirit gave you faith and the hope of eternal life. He connected you to Christ who Paul wrote in Ephesians 5, 2 … “loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” God loves you and provides for you in so many ways. He will keep you going to serve him in this life by pointing people to his great miracles and helping others to see his glory with your kind words and actions, and by sharing his Word, and even by whispering the words of “Jesus loves me, this I know,” in a hospital room.

The list of people we are praying for this morning covers a full sheet of paper. Most, if not all, on the list have had moments when they have said, “I have had enough.” I am sure all of you have also said, “I have had enough.” Monday, September 11, 2023, will mark the three-and-a-half-year anniversary of COVID-19 being declared a pandemic. That day is over two years away, and I am sure you have had enough of it. God was with Elijah through the three and a half years, and God will be with you through all your trials as well. Your God is bigger than worldwide problems. Your God is also as gentle as a whisper when he tells you he has reserved you as one of his own for heaven. When you have had enough, the Lord is enough for you. Amen.