Elijah and Me Under the Pity Tree

O. T. #800  "Elijah and Me Under the Pity Tree"
July 27, 2016
1 Kings 19-Part 2
He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. verse 4

LET IT GLOW

Move over, Elijah. I need to sit with you under your juniper tree. My battle has been going on for 5 weeks now and I am growing weary and beat up. Want to join us? I've had enough, too.

God's victory proved He is all-powerful and Baal is not. Israel killed the 450 prophets of Baal, the false god of Queen Jezebel. She sends a life threat to Elijah, he gets scared and runs to the wilderness.

How many times have I wanted to run away, leave it all for someone else to handle? When people's hateful words have cut me into pieces, I sit bleeding. When lack of commitment leaves me stressed, searching for replacements, I want to scream. When they turn away, leaving me, my hands are empty and my heart is throbbing from the pain. My strength is drained.
Elijah said his bedtime prayer, telling God he had had enough, and asked God to take his life, let him die, then fell asleep. Looks like I am in good company.
Say, did I see Job, Moses, Jonah keeping Elijah company when I walked up to join this pity party? Some party-the host is sleeping. Misery loves company, so let me die with you, Elijah. Life is too much for me to handle all these issues. Let's go on to heaven and have a great time. I give up. Let someone else take over in my place; I've had it; it's over. I fell asleep too, sitting under Elijah's tree, which only lasts a few hours because of the stress pressing on me.

Anyone been there?


LET IT GROW

What happened next?

• An angel visited and touched Elijah, waking him up with a message.
• The angel told him to get up and eat. So Elijah ate the bread and drank the water provided, then laying down again.
• A second time the angle told Elijah to eat and drink some more, or the journey would be too much for him.
• He did such, and the food gave Elijah enough strength to travel 40 days and nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. This was about 200 miles that he walked.
• There he came to a cave and spent the night. Tradition says that this cave was the cleft of the rock where God allowed Moses to see His back side, when HIs glory passed by (Ex. 33:32).

Awake our soul, Lord Jesus. Feed my soul with Your Words of encouragement. come Holy Spirit and fill my thirsty soul.

It is encouraging to know that even when the child of God is backslidden, and discouraged, God cares for him in grace. (Wiersbe)

Centuries later, Moses, Elijah, and Jesus would meet together on a mountaintop (Luke 9:28-36).

Breathe, God is here, and you are loved. I just heard it on the radio. We are never too far gone, friend, that God's hand can't reach down and nourish us spiritually, heal our cuts by changing them into scars for Jesus.  Hold on just a little bit longer-He knows this will make us stronger.We must let the light of Jesus come into our dark world and bring new hope and fresh joy.

LET IT GO

Forgive.

Let God have the past and look to Him for my future.

Let God make me stronger through this storm.

He came and rescued me today. Took me by the hand and lifted me up from under my pity tree and out of my pity party.