When I was in my early twenties, I used to go cave exploring as often as possible with a friend. Sometimes we went caving about twice a week. One evening we followed a lead for a new cave that we’d heard about, one that was in the top of a ridge and that was supposed to be really huge. When someone tells you that a cave is really large, then it’s probably no bigger than a groundhog hole.
After an hour of ridge walking, we finally saw a small hole at the top of a knob. We got down on our hands and knees; and when we crawled in about five feet, we started smelling something really gross. We crawled in a little further and we soon discovered the source of the smell, which just happened to be an old dead dog.
There’s nothing worse than the stench of death. So, what does the Lord have to say about the times that we smell the stench of death in our spiritual life; when we enter the cave of despair and hopelessness? In 1 Kings 19:9-10, we read:
And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” So he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
Elijah entered the cave of despair, prompted by fear and self-pity. The Lord had just given him a great victory by displaying His power over the prophets of Baal, when He sent down fire from heaven to devour a sacrifice that was doused with many pots of water. The Lord had also allowed Elijah to capture and execute the prophets of Baal (1 Kgs 18:20-40). Elijah should’ve realized the Lord would protect him no matter what; but Queen Jezebel threatened to kill him, and he fled in fear (19:2-3).
The way that Elijah acted is how we sometimes act. The Lord can place a calling on our life to serve Him. He can show us many signs that confirm our calling and His presence among us. We can face many challenges bravely; but there’ll be something to come along that will unnerve us, and cause us to feel as though we can’t go on. When this happens we tend to feel defeated, and then we attempt to run away from God. We feel like giving up altogether; and like Elijah, we come up with the excuse that no one else cares about the Lord, so why should we even try anymore!
When we run from the Lord we can feel as though we’re in a deep pit surrounded by darkness. Maybe you’re in a place of despair because you’ve run from the Lord just as Elijah did, but let me tell you that God will pursue you when you run away from Him. In Psalm 139:7, David asked, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” Just remember that you can run from the Lord, but you can’t hide!
When He catches up to you, He’s going to ask you the same question that He asked Elijah in verse 9, which is, “What are you doing here?” When you’re in despair and you ask yourself why you’re there, please keep in mind that the Lord is the one prompting the question. How will you answer Him?
The ultimate cave of despair that a person can enter into is death. So, what does the Bible have to say about the darkness and the finality of death? In John 11:38-41, 43-44, we read:
Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying . . .
[Jesus] cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”
In any other form of disparity we can often find ways to help ourselves, but there’s no way to escape death. No human being can resurrect another person from the dead; and if they did, it wouldn’t be by their own power, but God’s. We can resuscitate someone, as in performing C.P.R., but not bring a person back to life after they’ve been lying in the grave. Jesus is the only one who can resurrect someone from the dead.
The death that I’m talking about is not physical death, but a spiritual one. Romans 6:23 tells us, “The wages of sin is death,” meaning death to a person’s soul, which is equivalent to spending eternity in hell. Jesus overcame death after He died on the cross and was resurrected. In order for us to be raised from spiritual death into spiritual life, we must believe that Jesus rose from the grave. Jesus has power over sin and death, and He will grant us that power too, but only if we believe that He is able.
Jesus said in verse 40, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” We must believe and have faith in Jesus Christ in order to be rescued from the ultimate cave of despair, and receive eternal spiritual life.
Whenever we find ourselves in despair, we often feel as though we’re in a dark cave and that death is slowly encroaching. We’re not alone, though, for the Lord sees us wherever we are, He sustains us in our time of need, and He hears our cry and is ready to rescue us when we ask for His help. He is even able to bring us back to life once we die; but only if we call on the name of Jesus Christ.