Do you remember the showdown between God’s prophet Elijah and the 850 prophets of Baal the goddess Asherah? Up on Mount Carmel? A competition to determine which God the people of Israel should worship?

Remember how this goes? The two altars - wood with an ox on top. Baal’s prophets dancing around - cutting themselves - bleeding all over the place - shouting to Baal to send down fire. An exercise in futility that goes on all day - and of course nothing happens.

Then Elijah drenches God’s altar with water so there’s no way that this thing’s going to catch on fire. Elijah prays. God’s fire falls from heaven - the offering - the altar - the water - its all vaporized. The people - now choosing to obey God - go out and kill all the prophets of Baal. (1 Kings 18:16ff)

Do you remember what comes next? Queen Jezebel sends a message to Elijah that says, “You killed my prophets. By this time tomorrow you’re a dead man.”

And Elijah? A man who stood there and watched the fire of the one true living Almighty God of Creation - witnessed the power of God right in front of his singed beard. Elijah who ordered the execution of Jezebel’s prophets. Does Elijah tell Jezebel what to go do with herself - a “Thus saith the Lord” bold rebuke and condemnation type of statement? Remember this? Elijah runs - and hides - out in the wilderness - sits under a Juniper Tree - and cries out to God, “It’s enough. O Lord, take my life.”

God asks Elijah, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Elijah says, “I’ve been zealous for the Lord, the God of the armies of heaven - that’s You - for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” (1 Kings 19)

Elijah is an example of deep depression. Unexpected. God’s man with a front row seat watching Almighty God at work. Yet depressed - discouraged - despairing even for life itself.

Charles Spurgeon - one of the greatest preachers of all time - writing in his book “Lectures to My Students” - Spurgeon admitted to depression in his own life - often before a great success - sometimes after a great success - usually because of something he couldn’t explain. He wrote, “Fits of depression come over most of us. Usually cheerful as we may be, we must at intervals be cast down. The strong are not always vigorous, the wise not always ready, the brave not always courageous, and the joyous not always happy. There may be here and there men of iron...but surely the rust frets even these.” (1)

That’s Micah. Look with me at where Micah begins in chapter 7. Micah 7:1: “Woe is me!” For six chapters we’ve been reading through God using Micah to deliver His message of warning and of calling His people back to a Him - God desiring to pour out His blessing on His people. Imagine this - the Almighty God of Creation revealing His plans to you - you’re His messenger to His people. But, like Elijah - Micah - alone with his own thoughts before God - Elijah says, “Woe is me!”

The first part of chapter 7 - verses 1 to 6 - focus on Micah’s Depression. Look at how Micah describes where he’s at. Three descriptions.

Verse 1 - spiritual isolation: For I am like the fruit pickers, like the grape gatherers. There is not a cluster of grapes to eat, or a first-ripe fig which I crave. The godly person has perished from the land, and there is no upright person among men. All of them lie in wait for bloodshed; each of them hunts the other with a net.

When they pick grapes or figs they leave some or miss some. Right? People go through the fields and pick up the leftovers. I saw this last year with the tomatoes. After the harvest I was amazed at how many tomatoes were still in the fields. Micah’s standing in a vineyard and nothings left. They aren’t even others rummaging around looking for food. He is alone.

He takes that image of loneliness and applies it spiritually. All the godly people have perished. Only the ungodly are left. I’m the last righteous man left standing.

Isaiah 63:3 says, “I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the nations no one was with me.” (NIV) “I was faithful. I did what God wanted. Why didn’t it come out differently? Is God really there?”

Ever feel that kind of spiritual isolation? I’m the only one living for God at work. Everyone else uses crude language - the jokes are pornographic. I’m the only one standing up for God at school. Everyone in the family thinks I’m delusional because I go to church. If I’m living for God why don’t they get it. Why do I feel so alone?

Verse 3 - Micah describes his feelings of cultural isolation: Concerning evil, both hands do it well - the people around me - they’re really good at working together to do evil - The prince asks, also the judge, for a bribe, and a great man speaks the desire of his soul; so they weave it together. The best of them is like a briar; the most upright like a thorn hedge. The day when you post your watchmen, your punishment will come. Then their confusion will occur.

We talked about this on past Sundays. In Micah’s day society was in moral freefall. Everyone was taking bribes. No cared about anyone else unless it benefited them to do so. God was a god of convenience and religion was a profit making business.

Last week a report came out that said that one out of every 75 men in the United States is living in prison. (2) The reason these men are in jail is because they’re criminals. Ponder that - one out of every 75 men in the United States is a criminal. And that's just the men who’ve been caught.

Violence is on the rise. Morality is on the decline. Pornography grows more acceptable. In this county illegal drugs are a significant part of the economy. Pretty soon most people in this country will have never experienced what this country was like as a Christian nation. Are things getting better? Ever feel afraid? Hopeless - that this country is turning away from God - perhaps never to return?

That’s where Micah’s at. “I’m alone and living in a briar patch.” This is a dangerous scary place to be.

Verses 5 and 6 focus on Micah’s emotional isolation. Verse 5: Do not trust in a neighbor; do not have confidence in a friend. From her who lies in your bosom - from your wife - guard your lips. For son treats father contemptuously, daughter rises up against her mother, daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own household.

The shortest horror story is that you’re the last person left on earth and there’s a knock on the door.

We’re made for community - to know others and to be known. We need each other. Imagine the isolation - you can’t trust anyone. Not your neighbors - your friends - your spouse - your kids - your parents. Your enemies are your closest relatives. It’s worse than an episode of Survivor.

Micah - God’s messenger - looking at himself and where he’s living life - he’s alone. He’s depressed - discouraged - despairing. In one way or another we’ve all been where Micah was.

Which brings us to verse 7. Verse 7 begins, “But as for me.” That word “but” is crucial. There’s a contrast. Verses 7 to 13 focus on Micah’s Choice. His response to the depression he finds himself in.

As a recently retired man was sitting on his porch his Social Security check was delivered. He went to the mailbox to retrieve it and thought to himself, “Is this all my life is going to be from this time on? Just sitting on the porch waiting for my next Social Security check to arrive?” It was a discouraging thought.

So he took a legal pad and began to write down all the gifts - all the blessings - all the talents - everything that he had going for him. He listed them all - even the small things. For example, he included the fact that he was the only one in the world who knew his mother’s recipe for fried chicken in which she used eleven different herbs and spices.

He went down to the local restaurant and asked if he could get a job cooking their chicken. Very soon the chicken became the most popular item on the menu. He opened his own restaurant in Kentucky. Then he opened a string of restaurants and eventually sold the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise to a national organization for millions of dollars. (3)

We have a choice of what we do when we’re depressed. In depression or despair or spiritual dryness - whatever - we always have a choice to turn away from God or to turn towards God.

Look with me at how Micah’s describes his choice. Verse 7: But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. His choice? Stop looking at what’s wrong and turn towards God. Specifically there are two things that Micah says he’s trusting God for.

First: Micah chooses to trust that God will raise up His people.

Verse 8: Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Thought I fall I will rise; Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me - I’m down but I’m not out. Don’t start throwing dirt on my coffin yet - I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me out to the light, and I will see His righteousness - God is righteous in His judgment of us. I’m a sinner. He’s dealing with me. It hurts. But, God’s going to bring about His justice - His righteousness in my life - Then my enemy will see, and shame will cover her who said to me, “Where is the Lord your God?” My eyes will look on her; at that time she will be trampled down like mire of the streets - my enemies are going to get what's justly theirs.

We believe in the God who takes people who know they are sinners and delivers them from their sin - disciplines - forgives - heals - restores. We believe that God brings triumph out of tragedy - freedom from captivity. We live with the hope of God’s sovereign intervention - His justice - His advocacy on our behalf. When cast down we have the opportunity to trust that God will raise us up.

Second: Micah chooses to trust that God will bring victory to His people.

Verse 11: It will be a day for building your walls. On that day will your boundary be extended. It will be a day when they will come to you from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, from Egypt even to the Euphrates, even from sea to sea and mountain to mountain. And the earth will become desolate because of her inhabitants, on account of the fruit of their deeds.

In the immediate context Micah is talking about the exiled Israelites and Judeans returning and rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem which happened about 2,700 years ago.

But, the second part is about us. The prophet Amos said, “In that day - same time as Micah’s talking about - in that day I will raise up the fallen booth - or house - of David - Jerusalem - and wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old; that they may possess the remnant of Edom - Edom being Israel’s arch enemy - in other words Israel is going to possess the land of her enemies - that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations - that’s us - the nations who are called by My name.” Declares the Lord who does this. (Amos 9:11,12)

The day is coming when we - the gentiles - the non-Jewish believing people of God - will be draw from all over the world to Jerusalem. While Jerusalem is built up - God blessing His people beyond anything we can possibly imagine - the earth will become desolate - judgment on those who have stood defiantly against God. Once and for all God is going to lead His people - Jew and Gentile - to victory - into His eternal salvation and peace.

Being cast down we have the opportunity to choose to trust that God will raise us up and bring victory in our lives.

Verses 14 to 20 are Micah’s Praise - one of the most hope filled passages in Scripture.

Verse 14 - Micah crying out to God: Shepherd Your people with Your scepter, the flock of Your possession which dwells by itself in the woodland, in the midst of a fruitful field. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old.

“God shepherd Your people. Do it now.” Bashan and Gilead were places of provision and safety - green pasturelands - a time of peace - just before Israel first prepared to enter the Promised Land. (Numbers 32:1) Micah’s praying, “God bless us like you did in the good-old-days. We’re desperate - I’m desperate - for your provision and care.”

Then in verse 15 God interrupts. Verse 15 - God speaking: “As in the days when you came out from the land of Egypt, I will show you miracles.”

This is so great. Micah’s crying out to God and God interrupts him. Micah’s not alone. God is right there with him. God meets us where we’re at. Here God says to Micah, “I’ll go even farther back - past Bashan and Gilead - back to Egypt. To when I humbled the mightiest nation on earth before you. Micah do you remember this? I heard your cry then. I delivered you then. I’ll deliver you now.”

How incredible - in the midst of what we go through - to hear our Heavenly Father say, “I’m here. It’s going to be okay.”

Verse 16: Nations will see and be ashamed of all their might. They will put their hand on their mouth, their ears will be deaf. They will lick the dust like a serpent, like reptiles of the earth. They will come trembling out of their fortresses; to the Lord our God they will come in dread and they will be afraid before You.

God is going to shut up those who are against Him and His people. They’re speechless - ashamed at their puny attempts to stand up against God. They’re helpless - powerless - against Almighty God.

We need to grab that truth for ourselves - to think differently about our circumstances. God’s working - His acts of salvation through out history - past, present, and future - tell us with certainty - our future is determined by God - not terrorists - not the immoral - not the politicians or the armies of the nations. Our future is determined by what God will do - not what the evil people in society are doing now.

Verses 18 to 20 are a statement of absolute confidence in God - words of praise and adoration and hope. Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity - our sin - and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? - His people - He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob and unchanging love to Abraham, which You swore to our forefathers from the days of old.

Chapter 7 begins with “Woe is me!”- depression - discouragement - despair - and ends with hope. “Who is like God?” None. Only God is the Shepherd who so cares for His people.

Be encouraged this morning. When we feel alone - isolated - tempted to wallow in discouragement - to be paralyzed by fear - to see the glass as half empty - God gives us a choice. That choice is what?

We can either choose to turn away from God or to turn to God. Church - we need to realize that our only hope is to look to Jesus and to draw our strength and power and hope from Him.