So, after a series of dramatic acts, and then a very subtle act, in verse 13, God again asks Elijah what he is doing there. Elijah responds with the same line. His worldview had hardened. He could not see the circumstance any other way. Just as with Israel, even being in God's presence and witnessing God's works didn't break through. Elijah had a touch of sclerosis.
What is interesting is that God did not perform an angioplasty to clean out what was keeping Elijah from being more useful to God. Instead, God took Elijah's words as Elijah's choice. We have a saying that opportunity knocks, and then it moves on. Well, God is more generous. He knocked twice, but when He got the same response, then He moved on. God told Elijah to go anoint three other men, including one to take his place as prophet (I Kings 19:15-18).
In doing this, God showed that He is never limited. He always has resources for accomplishing His will. But because of his mindset, Elijah lost out on being used by God as he had been. This episode of despondency, of self-focus and self-pity, demonstrated an area of unbelief in the great God. His lack of faith in God's capabilities resulted in his being less useful to God. He didn't fall away, but his sclerosis made him miss out. He left God out of His thinking, and the result was that God left him out of what He did next.
God wasn't limited - Elijah was, and all because he wouldn't get over himself (as we say today). He didn't wholeheartedly seek God's perspective. Instead, he stuck with and acted on his own. It's not that Elijah stopped believing God existed, but that he let his circumstances cloud his view of God. It was a type of unbelief that Hebrews warns against.
