Devotional 810

Elijah was afraid and fled for his life... (4) ...he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”  ~I Kings 19:3-4

Elijah was one of God's people, and truth-be-told, he had just (hours earlier!) experienced God's power in a mighty and miraculous way, but today...fear and exhaustion had set in.  He was tired, and Elijah was done.  Done with the work of serving the Lord, done with feeling alone in doing it, done with the emotional, mental and physical exhaustion of all of it.  He was done.

Are we done today?  (Or can we remember a moment when we were?)  Elijah was having a moment, and we all have those moments.

We feel small, inconsequential, and worthless sometimes.

We are not "un-faithful", "depressed", or weak for having such thoughts--we are human for having such thoughts.  And Elijah was having them.

But our Heavenly Father and Lord do not leave us alone in those thoughts.  When we are feeling "done", He meets us, and He restores us.

Bit by bit, the Lord revitalized Elijah, and bit by bit, He works/ministers/desires to revitalize us as well:

Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” (6) He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.  

(7) Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”  ~I Kings 19:5-7

Elijah slept a lot under that broom tree, but he needed it!  His body and soul had gotten run way down lately.  If that is our story too, then step off the racetrack for a moment and lay down.   

For Elijah it was under the shade of a broom tree, but look around and open yourself up to how God is seeking to allow rejuvenation for us today.  

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So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. (9) There he came to a cave, where he spent the night.  But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  

(10) Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”  ~I Kings 19:8-10

While God had restored Elijah physically with rest and food, he was still struggling mentally.  He felt alone and intimidated in serving the Lord, and he had fallen victim to fear, which always distorts our view and maims our efforts. 

Elijah was still feeling done.  His physical-tank had been refilled, but his mental/emotional-tank was still on empty and afraid, and so God allowed him to experience Him on a new level in order to restore Elijah on a new level.  

“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. (12) And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. (13) When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.  

And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

(14) He replied again, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”  ~I Kings 19:11-14

Elijah was experiencing God and His power, but he was still misled by fear,  He thought (and was wallowing in) the idea that he was alone in serving God.  

But God was rejuvenating Elijah in stages: First with rest and food (physically), then by his power and creation (windstorm, earthquake, fire), and lastly God would revitalize Elijah's spirit with the powerful knowledge that he was not alone in serving the Lord.  

Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!”   ~I Kings 19:18

There is great encouragement in knowing that we are not alone in serving our God.  Elijah was blessed by the rest of the Lord.  He was fueled by the food of God.  Elijah was awed by the power of God-in-nature, but God's final "touch" of letting Elijah know that he was not alone in serving the Lord might have been the mightiest piece of the I'm-too-pooped-to-pop puzzle for Elijah.  

With the combination of all of these things, Elijah was no longer done.  He left the broom tree and never went back to it.  Elijah "had a moment", but that moment had passed and he was back in the (God-fearing and serving) saddle. 

I pray that we can experience the same (multi-tiered) refreshment from our Lord today.  Whatever areas of our hearts and bodies have been exhausted...may the Lord revive us today.  With His Word, with rest, with food, with the power or His creation, or with the strength and support of other believers:  May God refuel us today!

If we are feeling done, find your broom tree and lay down under it.  God will meet us there and restore us.

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com