Last week, in our processing of 1 Kings, we came to the rapid spiral of chaos and failure in chapters 13-16. The theme that we keep coming back to as we walk through the book is hope amidst chaos, and last week’s text was the epitome of that chaos! As we asked, “Where is the hope?” we brought two things to the table—things that can fuel hope even in a personal or cultural or global spiral. The first is grace—the grace that we celebrated at Easter; the grace that comes in relationship with Jesus. The second is intentionality in trajectory adjustments, because even in the spiral, we have opportunity to adjust our trajectory. We leaned into the words from the author of Hebrews:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him (Jesus) who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Today, before we dig into our text starting in 1 Kings 17, I want us to take a “presumed trust” survey. I will list five things most people assume everyone else fully trusts, and I want you to think about where you are for each one: I trust this or My trust in this is deteriorating or My trust in this is rebuilding or I don’t trust this. (You won’t have to share these answers.)
My body basically works
Technology makes life easier
People understand me
My friends like me
Things will work out
Okay, before we move to conversation, I want you to try to come up with one thing or person that fits into each of the response categories we listed before: I trust this or My trust in this is deteriorating or My trust in this is rebuilding or I don’t trust this. You may not be able to think of one for each of these, but I will give you a moment to process and write.
All right. I hope these two steps brought to the surface the complexity of trust. It isn’t something that can be demanded or that you can be guilted into having. It’s something that is very fluid and changing over time and in different situations. While we can wear a mask and pretend like trust is simple or unchanging, today we are going to aim to process deeply trust in God. We’ll see its complexity in our text of 1 Kings 17-19.
Let’s talk about trust.
What becomes evident as you identify your varying levels of trust in the people and things around you?
What does it take to deteriorate trust? To build it? How are these similar and different?
In 1 Kings 17-19, we get to meet Elijah. He was a prophet, a messenger of God, and some refer to “Elijah’s entrance [as] a ‘thunderclap’ into Israel’s story.” We’re not given his genealogy or the story of his childhood or calling or rise to prominence. His name means “My God is Yahweh,” a definite message in this Baal-worshipping culture.
In 1 Kings 17, Elijah just explodes into the story. Up until this point, it’s been about kings, about people with authority, about the “most important” people. And here comes Elijah, who has no backstory so that God’s authority becomes the whole story.
This all sounds super-human, but Elijah was human just like us. And while he was a prophet, being part of miracles and speaking with authority from God, Elijah was still a person who ran away in fear, not trusting God’s protection or God’s plan.
Today we are going to process the ebbs and flows of trusting God and seek a trajectory to trusting Him more—a trajectory toward trust that acknowledges the complexity of trust.
Now, it needs to be said that not all not trusting is bad. Take a look at these situations:
A stranger approaches you in an unusual way
Food smells or looks wrong
A driver is acting unpredictably
You receive a suspicious link or message
Your body is signaling something isn’t right
A situation feels unsafe at night or in isolation
Someone’s words and actions don’t match
A deal or offer seems too good to be true
You hear unusual sounds in your home at night
Equipment or tools appear damaged or unstable
Not trusting can keep you alive or keep you safe. That’s not a bad thing!
At the same time, not trusting also comes with some costs:
Missed opportunities
Strained relationships
Increased anxiety
Isolation from others
Difficulty collaborating
Slower decision making
Constant second guessing
Emotional exhaustion
Limited personal growth
Inability to delegate or rely on others
Let’s pause for just a short conversation processing this.
What tends to be more costly to you: being over-trusting, or not trusting enough?
There are so many moments in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) where the complexity and beauty of trusting Jesus are central to the narrative. Moments like these:
A paralyzed man lowered through the roof • Mark 2:1–12
The centurion’s great faith • Matthew 8:5–13
Peter walking on water • Matthew 14:22–33
The raising of Lazarus • John 11:1–44
The woman with the issue of blood • Matthew 9:20–22
The feeding the five thousand • John 6:5–14
The calling of the first disciples • Luke 5:1–11
Jesus and Thomas • John 20:24–29
But I want to highlight one particular moment in Luke chapter 7, when a woman came and anointed Jesus.
When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:36-50)
In Luke 7 a woman who had lived a sinful life heard that Jesus was at a Pharisee’s house having dinner. “Sinful” is pretty broad, but in this culture that would mean that she was publicly known for her past, morally unclean, socially outcast, not respected or trusted, a source of shame or embarrassment, someone people didn’t want to associate with. She would have been seen as spiritually inferior and far from God. She lacked credibility or voice and was defined by her past, not her present. She would have been perceived as unworthy of the attention of a rabbi and as someone to be judged rather than understood. That’s a heavy load.
But when she hears that Jesus is there, still she comes, bringing a bottle of perfume and kneeling behind Him weeping. She washed His feet with her tears and anointed them with the perfume. This was a risky move that could have cost her a number of things:
Public humiliation • She enters an exclusive Pharisee’s house uninvited and weeps openly, which could have led to immediate shaming or being thrown out.
Social exposure • Luke identifies her as “a sinner,” so her reputation is already known; this act makes her visible in a setting where she has no protection.
Physical removal • A host or servants could have forcibly stopped her or expelled her from the home.
Religious condemnation • Touching a respected teacher while considered “unclean” could have intensified accusations of impurity or scandal.
Misinterpretation of intent • Her actions could have been assumed to be inappropriate, manipulative, or disruptive rather than repentant.
Host’s rejection of Jesus’ credibility • Simon the Pharisee already doubts Jesus; her act could have reinforced his judgment and led to sharper opposition.
Legal or community consequences • In that cultural context, a known immoral reputation combined with public disruption could deepen her marginalization.
Emotional vulnerability exposed • She weeps and lets down her guard in a public space; rejection there would have been deeply wounding.
But all of that was superseded by her admiration of Jesus, her hope in Him and love for Him, her trust of Him.
How does trust affect a person’s ability to navigate obstacles that feel insurmountable?
Okay, let’s return to our text in 1 Kings 17-19. Here’s some of Elijah’s story.
In 1 Kings 17, Elijah declares drought to Ahab, announcing there will be no rain except at his word. Then God provides for him, using ravens to bring him bread and meet at the brook of Cherith. In the town of Zarephath, Elijah asks a starving widow for food; her flour and oil miraculously do not run out. When the widow’s son dies, Elijah prays and God restores him to life.
Wow, controlling the weather? Being fed by ravens? Raising a kid back from the dead? I think I would trust God!
In 1 Kings 18, Elijah confronts Ahab about his idolatry during the continuing famine. He challenges 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah to a showdown on Mount Carmel, where they are unable to get a response from their gods after a whole day of trying, but when it’s Elijah’s turn, he not only prepares an altar and a sacrifice to God, but he also drenches the whole thing in water before asking God to send fire to reveal Himself so Israel will turn back to Him. God does send fire to consume not only the sacrifice but also the altar and all of the water, and the people declare, “The Lord, He is God!” Baal’s prophets are defeated and Elijah orders them captured and executed. He also prays for an end to the drought, and heavy rains come.
Wow, taunting the prophets of Baal? Calling fire down from heaven? Saying the word and after a long drought and having rain come? I think I would trust God!
Then we turn the page to 1 Kings 19.
So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. (1 Kings 19:2-3a)
What? Wait. What happened? Well, this is an over-simplification, but life happened.
Elijah ran away into the wilderness and went into a cave, and there—after running away:
And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9b)
I hear this not as a scolding or shaming. It’s not a guilt trip, but a loving, caring, hopeful question filled with concern. What are you doing here, Elijah?
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” (1 Kings 19:10)
God tells Elijah to go to the mouth of the cave because He is about to pass by.
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. (1 Kings 19:11b-13)
After all that, what does God say in His gentle whisper?
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:13b)
And
The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came.” (1 Kings 19:15a)
There’s a lot in these chapters, and I encourage you to read them yourself. But feel this rollercoaster: Trust. Many trust-building moments. A failure of trust. God is still there, calling him back. Go back. You are not alone. I am with you.
What do we see in God’s character through His interaction with Elijah in his moment of doubt and lost trust?
Hope in the midst of adversity. There are so many ups and downs, and the ups and downs are not just in emotions, feelings, and experiences. They are also in our trust in God. And I have faith that God comes to us as he did with Elijah, with a whisper: What are you doing here? Come back.
Dr. Henry Cloud lists these 5 elements of trust:
Understanding (Connection): Trust begins when people feel known and understood. This requires listening, empathy, and demonstrating that you “get” their reality and needs without having an agenda.
Motive (Intent): You must trust that the other person has your best interests at heart, not just their own. True trust exists when you believe their intentions are for you to win.
Ability (Competence): Someone can be well-intentioned, but they must also possess the skills, knowledge, and capacity to deliver on what they promise.
Character (Integrity): A trustworthy person possesses honesty, authenticity, and alignment between their values and actions. They are consistent in who they are.
Track Record (Consistency): Trust is built over time through a consistent history of honoring commitments. It is a record of past actions that gives confidence in future behavior.
When you see that someone has all of these things in a certain area, most of the time you can trust them in that area. The sticking point is when someone has all these things and you still don’t trust them.
When we look at who God is, and we see His understanding, motive, ability, character, and track record, it would make total sense that we would trust Him. But sometimes we still don’t.
Sometimes we need the Elijah moment of “what are you doing here?”
God’s presence did not change. Our focus changed. Our trust changed. So Go back.
Think about the five elements of trust again, and let’s have one final moment of processing:
How can you build your trust in Jesus?
How can you help others build trust in Jesus?
What is the barrier in trusting Jesus?
What has become a call to action as we have processed trust—and especially trusting God—today?
Take It Deeper Questions:
Read Luke 7:36-50.
Who in your life has consistently supported and encouraged your pursuits and dreams?
What happens internally when you don’t feel supported in what you’re trying to do?
What do you think was going on in the woman’s mind as she sensed the Pharisees’ disdain and heard Jesus defend her?
How does a person build deeper trust in Jesus?
How can someone learn to hear Jesus more clearly and resist both external negativity and the negative thoughts within themselves?
How are you challenged, focused, encouraged and/or confused by this text?
Bible Reading Plan:
John 12 • Mary Anoints Jesus in Love and Devotion
Mark 14 • Anointing Before Jesus’ Burial
Psalms 51 • A Broken Heart Turned Toward God
Isaiah 1 • Washed Clean from Sin
Romans 5 • Grace Given to the Undeserving
Ephesians 2 • Saved by Grace, Not Status
Luke 18 • Humility of the Tax Collector vs. the Pharisee