{"id":34729,"date":"2026-08-09T16:13:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T11:13:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=34729"},"modified":"2026-08-09T16:13:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T11:13:13","slug":"max-lucado-the-world-feels-out-of-control-elijahs-story-tells-christians-what-to-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=34729","title":{"rendered":"MAX LUCADO: The world feels out of control. Elijah&#8217;s story tells Christians what to do"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div id=\"beyondwords-wrapper\" data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"beyondwords-wrapper\">\n<p><span class=\"label-bg\">NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">Do you ever have the sense that you are no match for the problems of our day? Alone and in a fight you didn\u2019t want?<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">On one side: you. Just you.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">On the other side: them. You have a list of &#8220;them&#8221; \u2013 problems, changes, offenses, bills, fears, questions, deadlines. More and more of them.,<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_opinion_article_main-content_article-body_6_3767\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/travel\/george-washingtons-prayer-america-still-resonates-250-years-later\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>GEORGE WASHINGTON&#8217;S REMARKABLE PRAYER FOR AMERICA STILL RESONATES 250 YEARS LATER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">You versus them. You are\u2026<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><i>outnumbered<\/i><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><i>outpaced<\/i><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><i>outdone<\/i><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><i>outgunned<\/i><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><i>outmaneuvered<\/i><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><i>out there in the tempest all alone\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The odds are against you. It\u2019s 850 to 1.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Those were the odds against Elijah. Who is this Old Testament man? And what in the world does his world have to do with you? More than you think.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_opinion_article_main-content_article-body_6_3768\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/food-drink\/small-business-owner-humbled-himself-asked-help-god-shop-packed-next-day\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>&#8216;WE COULDN&#8217;T MAKE PAYROLL&#8217;: DOUGHNUT SHOP OWNER ASKED GOD FOR HELP \u2014 WHAT HAPPENED NEXT STUNNED HIM<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">His story is all about bad odds and odd gods. Their god is odd. The odds against him are bad. And Elijah is in the middle of it all..<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">His story is relevant because the challenges he faced are similar to yours. The ninth century B.C. was not a good era for <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_opinion_article_main-content_article-body_6_3769\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/world\/religion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Jews<\/a>. King after king was corrupt to the core. Less than a hundred years earlier, King Solomon had dedicated the glorious temple in Jerusalem. Some Jews were old enough to recall the golden era of faith. They were acquainted with the blessings of a God-centered culture. But over the course of a lifetime, the people drifted. By the time Elijah appeared on the scene, Israel was six decades and four kings deep in a cesspool of death and decadence. Ungodly idol worship. Unholy clergy. Unbridled evil. Untold sordid scandals. Sound like a good era in which to live?<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Sound like the era in which we live?<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">I\u2019ve never been sympathetic to comments about &#8220;the good ol\u2019 days.&#8221; I always dismissed such comments as romantic nostalgia.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Not any longer.<\/p>\n<blockquote data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"pull-quote\">\n<p class=\"quote-text\">Chaos. Anxiety. Exhaustion. Fear. The white-knuckling tumbles through this unpredictable life.<\/p>\n<p> <!----><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">In a historical blink of an eye, we are shedding old beliefs and grasping for new ones. What was once unthinkable is acceptable today.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The world around us is changing.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Chaos. Anxiety. Exhaustion. Fear. The white-knuckling tumbles through this unpredictable life.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_opinion_article_main-content_article-body_6_3770\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/entertainment\/greys-anatomy-star-sarah-drew-reveals-pastor-fathers-advice-transformed-life\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>\u2018GREY\u2019S ANATOMY\u2019 STAR SARAH DREW REVEALS PASTOR FATHER\u2019S ADVICE THAT TRANSFORMED HER LIFE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">You know them. Not because of a gymnasium of bad dudes who want you dead, but because of the economy. The threat of nuclear war. School shootings. The homeless camps in your city. The state of your country. It\u2019s not just the bad news in the headlines that is weighing you down. It\u2019s also the bad news at the doctor\u2019s office, the home office, the school administrator\u2019s office. You do your best to stay afloat, digging your oar first this way, then that. But currents pull and torrents fall, and sometimes you wonder if you\u2019ll survive.<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/343\/192\/friends-holding-hands-praying-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/686\/384\/friends-holding-hands-praying-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/672\/378\/friends-holding-hands-praying-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1344\/756\/friends-holding-hands-praying-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/931\/523\/friends-holding-hands-praying-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1862\/1046\/friends-holding-hands-praying-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/720\/405\/friends-holding-hands-praying-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1440\/810\/friends-holding-hands-praying-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1200\/675\/friends-holding-hands-praying-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Unrecognizable female friends holding hands together in a gesture of prayer or comfort.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Is it possible for a person of faith to have unbreakable courage in today\u2019s world?<\/span> <span>(iStock)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Is it possible for a <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_opinion_article_main-content_article-body_6_3771\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/faith-values\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">person of faith<\/a> to have unbreakable courage in today\u2019s world?<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Don\u2019t think for a second that the worldview of a <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_opinion_article_main-content_article-body_6_3772\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/christianity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Christ follower<\/a> mirrors that of a nonbeliever. We are living in a culture that has little interest in people <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_opinion_article_main-content_article-body_6_3773\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/christian-school-chaplain-wins-settlement-after-firing-over-lgbtq-sermon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">living out their faith<\/a>. But we are not without help.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">As much as any <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_opinion_article_main-content_article-body_6_3774\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/travel\/lost-sermons-christianitys-greatest-saints-discovered-after-1600-years\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">person in the Bible<\/a>, Elijah affirms a positive answer to these questions: Can a person maintain faith in a world that has little? When a culture belittles belief, can a believer beget strength?<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Yes!<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">His life urges us to take a page from the playbook of<a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_opinion_article_main-content_article-body_6_3775\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fox4news.com\/news\/12-year-old-girl-runs-ny-half-marathon-by-mistake\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> LeeAdianez Rodriguez-Espada.<\/a> She was 12 years old when she signed up for a 5K race in Rochester, New York. Her mom dropped her off and then drove to a parking lot near the finish line. She expected to see her daughter in about an hour.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_opinion_article_main-content_article-body_6_3776\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/travel\/lost-sermons-christianitys-greatest-saints-discovered-after-1600-years\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>LOST SERMONS FROM ONE OF CHRISTIANITY&#8217;S GREATEST SAINTS DISCOVERED AFTER 1,600 YEARS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">But an hour came and went, and there was no sign of her. Within a few moments, the mom began to panic. She contacted race organizers and police officers. Eventually, the 12-year-old was spotted. But she was not running in the 5K race. She was running a half-marathon!<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Here is what happened. The young girl arrived at the starting line just after the race began. She was at the back of the pack. She settled into a rhythm. Somewhere around mile four, she began to suspect a problem. The finish line was nowhere in sight.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">She asked a fellow runner to point out the end of the race. That\u2019s when she realized her mistake. She was participating in the wrong event. The race was not five kilometers but 13.1 miles!<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_opinion_article_main-content_article-body_6_3778\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/opinion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">You and I have a lot in common with this young runner. The race is long\u2014longer than we thought. The challenges are many\u2014more than we ever imagined. The struggles are numerous\u2014so numerous that we want to quit. Step off the course and give up.<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/343\/192\/max-lucado-2025-cropped.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/686\/384\/max-lucado-2025-cropped.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/672\/378\/max-lucado-2025-cropped.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1344\/756\/max-lucado-2025-cropped.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/931\/523\/max-lucado-2025-cropped.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1862\/1046\/max-lucado-2025-cropped.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/720\/405\/max-lucado-2025-cropped.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1440\/810\/max-lucado-2025-cropped.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1200\/675\/max-lucado-2025-cropped.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Inspirational author and pastor Max Lucado.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>With God\u2019s help, you can live in these uncertain times with unbreakable courage.<\/span> <!----><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">When our young friend realized her mistake, she chose to stay in the race. A police officer found her on the course of the Flower City Half Marathon. He told her that people were worried. The young runner said she couldn\u2019t quit. The race was different from the one she\u2019d planned and prepared for, but she wanted to finish it. She put one foot in front of the other until finally she put one foot over the finish line.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">That\u2019s all <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_opinion_article_main-content_article-body_6_3779\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/faith-values\/values\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">God wants of us<\/a>. We need not finish first or fast or without foibles or fumbles. We just need to finish.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Do you feel as though it is you against the world? Not so, my friend. Outnumbered by foes and outdone by fear? Please reconsider. Surrounded by adversity? Perhaps. Yet, you are also encircled by divinity.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">With God\u2019s help, you can live in these uncertain times with unbreakable courage. Immovable. Determined. Square-jawed and resolved. Like LeeAdianez. Like Elijah.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_opinion_article_main-content_article-body_6_3781\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/person\/l\/max-lucado\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM MAX LUCADO<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p> <!----> <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p>With more than 150 million books in print, Max Lucado has been dubbed &#8220;America\u2019s Pastor&#8221; by\u00a0Christianity Today,<i>\u00a0<\/i>&#8220;The Best Preacher in America&#8221; by\u00a0Reader\u2019s Digest,<i>\u00a0<\/i>and the &#8220;Ted Lasso of Pastors&#8221; by the\u00a0Dallas Morning News. His latest book is &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Be-Strong-Courageous-Instability-Exhaustion\/dp\/1400246547\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Unbreakable Courage: Strong Faith in an Age of Anxiety, Chaos and Exhaustion<\/a>&#8221;\u00a0(Thomas Nelson, August 11, 2026). Lucado has penned more than 40 works of adult nonfiction, standing alongside dozens and dozens of bestselling children&#8217;s books, gift books, Bible studies, commentaries and collections. His books have been published in 56 languages worldwide and regularly appear on bestseller lists, including\u00a0The New York Times,\u00a0Publishers Weekly and\u00a0USA Today. He has been pastoring in San Antonio at Oak Hills Church since 1988. Learn more at\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.MaxLucado.com.\u00a0\">www.MaxLucado.com.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Do you ever have the sense that you are no match for the problems of our day? Alone and in a fight you didn\u2019t want? On one side: you. Just you. On the other side: them. You have a list of &#8220;them&#8221; \u2013 problems, changes, offenses, bills,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34730,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/friends-holding-hands-praying-fox-news-001.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34729","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34729","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34729"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34729\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/34730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34729"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34729"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}