As God trains and prepares Elijah to fulfill a crucial role, He works through a specific, four-part pattern: 1) command, 2) promise, 3) faith, and 4) fulfillment. As we see this pattern play out in Elijah's life, we will learn that God uses the same pattern when relating to us in the modern era. We can look to God's Word to see His commands and promises, and as we act in faith on the things He says to be true, we come to see that He is worthy of our trust. By this pattern, God pursues His purpose for us, just as He did with Elijah, and by this pattern, we will recognize God's unique involvement in each of our lives.

The Nation of Israel is being lead by King Ahab, who had established the worship of the false god, Baal, as the official national religion. The prophet Elijah challenges Ahab to a showdown on Mount Carmel to determine once and for all who is the one true God. By means of an epic and seemingly impossible task, the God of the Bible prevails. Three lessons can be learned from studying this passage. First, that there are valid limits to religious tolerance, a shocking message in our postmodern culture. Second, we are called to make a choice about what we believe about the God of the Bible. Is He the one true God or not? Third, God wants us to relate to Him personally and not religiously. While the prophets of Baal related to their god through religious rituals, Elijah related to God by drawing near to Him with words from the heart. God welcomed Elijah immediately.

After taking part in a glorious victory for God, Elijah falls into a deep and life threatening spiritual depression. This teaching brings light to the most common causes of depression (both spiritual and not), as well as the way in which God restores us to a healthier state of mind. There are four main causes for Elijah's depression that we can apply to ourselves, namely: 1.) unrealistic expectations; 2.) physical and emotional exhaustion; 3.) isolation from people; and 4.) a Messiah complex. Beneath all four of these causes lie a destructive attitude of self-sufficiency or pride. God restores people out of spiritual depression, not by forcing them back on their feet, but by gently and mercifully teaching them to depend on Him. God kindly corrects Elijah's skewed perspective with His truth, and Elijah recovers from a depression that could have ruined his life.

After God lifted Elijah out of a state of deep spiritual depression, He called on Elijah to anoint Elisha to succeed him as prophet. Elisha becomes Elijah's protege and helper. Many years pass, and Elijah knows that the time has come for him to depart from this world. Elisha travels with Elijah as he goes from place to place, and remains with him until God takes Elijah away. From this portion of the story, we learn about an aspect of his career that was not so dramatic, though exceedingly important: his investment in discipleship relationships. This teaching focuses on the importance developing deep friendships as a means of spiritual growth. In addition, we get a glimpse of Elisha's character as he enters into the position of filling Elijah's shoes, and discuss some of the possible reasons for the unusual and dramatic end to Elijah's career.