Athletes know the value of home field advantage. The atmosphere is familiar and the fans are supportive. Regardless of the score, the home team will be encouraged to do their best. Playing away games is a different story. Opposing fans often ridicule and shout insults. Great plays are met with silence. Encouragement comes only from within.

As Christians in this world, we are lacking home field advantage. The behavior, mindsets, and actions of those around us can feel unfamiliar. The crowd is not cheering for our efforts or applauding our spiritual wins. Opposition from Satan comes from all angles. Our minds are attacked, our values ridiculed, and our choices questioned. This can be a hard space to live in, but it should not be unexpected. Christians are described as being in the world and not of it and strangers to the world (John 17:16 and Hebrews 11:13). How do we find encouragement when it seems we are surrounded and constantly pushed down by the enemy? 

Athletes “dig deep” to stay strong in the face of adversity, and God gives us that same capability. Through His power young men have conquered giants. A small group of friends have walked through fire together. A lone half-dressed servant fled to avoid sin and later became a powerful leader. A failed prophet was enabled to exert one last burst of strength to defeat enemies. A battle was won by exhausted, lifted hands, and that’s just the beginning of the power our God provides through our weakness. However, despite all that we’ve seen and heard, there are times when, as humans, our strength and hope fades. We feel the crushing loneliness of being the “away team.” Satan wants us to think we are alone in this conundrum, but God shows us that no one is exempt from feeling defeated and alone. 

Consider the prophet Elijah. A man who spoke with God, whose prayer for no rain caused a three-year drought over the entire land of Israel. Threatened with death for the lack of rain, Elijah, the prophet of the God, challenges King Ahab, a Baal and Asherah worshiper, to an epic showdown. Altars were built. Chants by 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah were shouted, dancing, painful rituals and cries to Baal went unheard and unanswered. The feverish energy fades. The lone prophet steps up. He calls for water to be poured over God’s altar. To fully saturate every part and fill a trench around it. Elijah calls out and our God who always hears, answers with fire. The drenched offering and all the water around is consumed. The people cried out to the Lord and captured all the Baal and Asherah prophets to be killed. This amazing feat proves beyond a doubt that the God of Israel, the Great I AM is the God of all gods. The unpopular “away team” decisively won! (1 Kings 18). Rain returns the land and the wrongs seem to be righted. 

One might anticipate the days that followed for Elijah would have been filled with a spiritual high. Instead, we see Elijah fall to a spiritual low. The queen threatens him and he runs alone into the wilderness and sits under a tree. In despair, Elijah asks God to take his life and then he falls asleep. An angel appears, touches Elijah, and encourages him to eat and drink some water. Elijah does and falls back asleep. The angel comes back and acknowledges the journey is too much and provides more food. Elijah ate, and went  in the “strength of that food 40 days and nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.” (1 Kings 19:8). God approaches Elijah in a gentle whisper and gives him several tasks, one of which is calling his successor. God also debunks Elijah’s cry that “he is the only one left” and lifts Elijah’s spirit by revealing there are 7,000 others in Israel who had not worshiped other gods. 

God was keeping an eye on His prophet and knew Elijah was spent. Our God who is able to command anything He wants into existence simply sent an angel to meet the most basic of needs. Let’s look at what God’s prescription was for being burnt out:

Practical ways we rebuild the mental fortitude needed to serve God:

1. Rest. This should be simple but it is not. In the United States, 1 in every 3 adults do not get the recommended 7+ hours a sleep a night. (“What are Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency?”, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) We need to find a way to make time for rest. God set a standard that we should rest after He rested after 6 days of work during the creation of the world.
2. Refuel. Again, in the richness of our country, this should be a given, but it is not. There are too many Americans who struggle with getting adequate food, and those who do have the means for food often choose items with little to no nutrition in them, leaving our bodies ill-equipped to perform well. Stress often produces poor eating habits so seek nutritious options instead of convenience or comfort-eating.
3. Repeat. One night of sleep and one meal isn’t enough. We need a healthy rhythm of rest and refueling in our lives. Again, God instituted the Sabbath day for His people to force them to take a much needed break. While we aren’t bound by the Old Law, the idea of rest is also modeled by Jesus as he frequently took time by himself or with close friends to rest and regroup.
4. Refocus. What are you here on this earth to do? Remember your purpose. Identify your next tasks and remember you are not alone. God reminded Elijah of what he needed to do. A journal or a trusted friend or advisor can help if the way doesn’t seem clear.

Because God was keeping an eye on Elijah, He knew when to step in. As brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, we need to be on the lookout for when loved ones are struggling. 

Things to watch for:

• How are our loved ones feeling after “big days”? Are they spiritually high or low?
• Are our church leaders getting enough time to rest, refuel, and be surrounded by others so they know they are “not the only one”? Is their purpose redefined regularly? 
• Is your family establishing proper rhymes of rest and refueling? Does each member know what their purpose is and what tasks they are entrusted with?
• Do I ensure that I rest, refuel, and surround myself with others often?
• Is there anyone that I can refresh with food or rest? (Maybe a young mother needs someone to watch her kids. Perhaps a hardworking young man needs some extra cash to be able to afford a day of rest. Does a teen need to be pulled “out of the world socially” and spend some peaceful time in nature? Maybe someone simply needs a good home cooked meal! The opportunities to serve as refreshers are endless!

We are the away team. We need to cheer harder and louder for our team. We need to support each other in greater ways, seeking to make sure our needs are met. We need to remind each other of our purpose and tasks. Go team!

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Kristin Arbuckle

Kristin Arbuckle is a writer, designer, photographer, and homeschooling mama. She and her husband, Andrew, studied at Bear Valley Bible Institute, served as missionaries in Hawaii, and worked with a church plant in Omaha before moving back to Michigan to be closer to family. Kristin enjoys art, traveling, and spending time in God’s beautiful world. She recently published her first book, Where Hope Grows Free.

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