There are three places we can find ourselves in life: mountains, deserts and caves.

That was the topic of Pastor Troy Murphy’s message on Sunday at Community Church based on 1 Kings 18 and 19 and the story of Elijah.

Troy’s message is part of the “We Are Family” sermon series and helped answer the question: Where is God in the midst of suffering?

The story of Elijah gives us insight into the three areas of life we can find ourselves in:  

Mountains

Elijah basically squared off against hundreds of false prophets and was victorious — it was a mountaintop experience.

Our mountains in life can include: feeling God, seeing God work, life is good, we’re in control, there’s a beautiful view, stress is minimal.

On these mountains of life God reveals his power and we get captivated by that. But they don’t (and shouldn’t) happen all the time. If we lived on the mountaintop for too long we would be tempted to start taking the credit, or get full of ourselves and lose sight that God is the one in control.

Despite experiencing God’s power on the mountain, Elijah quickly forgot about that, which led him down a path of fear, worry and anxiety.

Deserts

In this place we are spiritually dry, God is quiet, we feel alone, abandoned and thirsty and hungry.

In a desert everything looks the same. In a spiritual desert we can experience that as well. We want to hear from God but it feels like a dry place. That’s OK because desert seasons can help us grow.  

In the deserts of life God reveals his provision. During that time God’s people revert to thankfulness for what they have and God sustaining them.

If you were never in want materially or physically, it would be harder to lean on God for provision. We would tend to rely on ourselves and our ability to provide for ourselves. Desert seasons give us perspective.

What are you waiting on God for right now? Instead of trying to work our way out of the desert or escaping feelings of dryness or insecurity, we need that season where we can’t provide for ourselves. Instead, we can wait on the Lord to provide that for us.

Caves

Like Elijah, we can hide in a cave where there are feelings of despair and hopelessness. God meets us there and says to us in a whisper: I’m here.

The cave is a dark place, we feel alone and still, we’re confused, defeated, desperate and feel there is no way out.

But in the cave of life God reveals his presence. We need to listen for his whisper.  Instead of trying to escape the cave or lament why we are there, we need to find out what we can learn from God and grab onto the hope that he is there with us. (Psalm 23).

Key points

*God is trying to teach us that suffering is part of life. It’s necessary for the roots of our life to grow deeper, and it points us to the voice of God in our life and what’s true and what’s not.

*We’re not mountain makers or conquerers;  God is. We’re not providers; God is.

*Romans 5: 1-5 says our suffering helps us develop endurance, which shapes our character.

*Researcher and author Rasmus Ankersen wrote in his book "The Gold Mine Effect:" Apparently there is something about having faced adversity early that helps to propel some people to greater success, and which continues to fuel their desire to improve themselves in spite of their achievement along the way. The hardiest plants survive hard environments.”

In the same way God can teach and grow us in our faith through adversity. There is something about experiencing difficulty that makes people stronger and better.

*In our spiritual journey when we experience trouble or adversity we ask the following questions: What’s happening to me? Why am I in this place? We have bought the lie in thinking we will grow as Christians without experiencing struggle.

*Why do we experience troubles? Typically it’s not because God is punishing us, or because we’ve committed some kind of terrible sin. Sometimes it’s because of our bad choices, or it’s simply the circumstances of life. 1 Peter 4. 12-13 says we shouldn’t be surprised when difficult things happen. That is inevitable in life and we don’t always know why.

But God can take those situations and help us grow and mature as believers.

*We often try to get out of our struggles as quickly as possible. But the reality is we need those situations. The Biblical approach to suffering is that it’s part of our journey as maturing and growing Christians. It gives us an opportunity to grow deeper and rooted in our faith.

*Too often we try to make everything comfortable. The gospel isn’t comfortable when it comes to living in this world. To live this life as scripture calls us to means we must swim upstream, against the cultural current.

*James 1.2-4 talks about experiencing joy as we face trials of many kinds. Just like a weightlifter who sits underneath weight to build up his muscles, we must at times sit under the weight of trials to build our spiritual muscle.

Discussion questions

Where are you right now: a mountain, desert or cave: What are you learning from the experience?

What are you believing about yourself and  about the suffering and pain you are experiencing?

Are voices do you listen to that cause you to believe lies?

How do you develop hope when you are in the desert or a cave?