![]() ![]() Instead of seeing God at work, he only sees this predicament he is now in. He has shifted his focus from God and now has tunnel vision. We might say Elijah has the right to be depressed and to run away. Why? Because the children of Israel forsook God and killed all the other prophets – and now they want to kill Elijah too. Where is the emphases being placed? This verse is all about Elijah – Elijah was very zealous for the Lord. I alone am left and they seek to take my life.” During the night the “word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9) Elijah replied: “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. Elijah goes into a cave and spent the night there. ![]() God brings Elijah back to the place where the covenant had been given, the place where his personal faith would also be nourished. From the broom tree to the mountain of God So Elijah gets up and eats and the Bible tells us that he went on the strength of that food for 40 days and 40 nights all the way to the mountain of God. God sends he angel again with the same message. He ate and then laid down and went back to sleep. When he wakes up he finds a cake baked on coals and a jar of water. As Elijah slept under the broom tree, God sends an angel who tells Elijah to get up and eat. Elijah needs rest, food, and spiritual nourishment. Elijah is experiencing what we would call “burnout.” God met Elijah at the broom treeĮven in the midst of Elijah’s depression and burnout – God meets him where he’s at and He miraculously provides for Elijah’s needs. Perhaps he believed that after God’s miraculous display of His power, all the people would turn away from Baal and follow God – but Queen Jezebel was furious over the execution of her prophets and now had a price on Elijah’s head. Elijah also has a false sense of failure. He demonstrates apathy, emotional distancing, a cynical attitude and a desire to escape from it all. In this moment, Elijah is physically and emotionally exhausted and as a result his faith crumbles. An exhausted and burned out prophet hides under a broom tree He goes out to the wilderness and sits down under a broom tree and asks God to let him die. The bold prophet who taunted the prophets of Baal now runs and hides. When Queen Jezebel heard about it, she sent a messenger to Elijah to let him know she planed to have him killed by the next evening.Įven though Elijah just experience God answering his prayer through a spectacular and miraculous way, he allows his fear to take over and he forgets the powerful display of God’s might with the sacrifice. Elijah then rounded up all the prophets of Baal and executed them. From mountain top experience to the valley of shadow of deathįor Elijah, He had just had the mountain top experience of God sending fire to consume a water-soaked sacrifice, proving to all of Israel that God is God and Baal is nothing. Sometimes He speaks through the still small voice. But God met him there and sent him to a mountain where Elijah learns that God doesn’t always speak in the spectacular and miraculous ways. For Elijah, in a moment of depression and burnout, he goes and sits under a broom tree for an old-fashioned pity party. ![]() To Mary and Joseph, he sent an angel to deliver a message. ![]() He spoke to several people through dreams. He spoke to Moses through a burning bush. In the Garden of Eden, He met Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. God chooses to reveal Himself however He chooses to. Mission, Core Values, & Statement of Faith.What can we learn from Israel and Judah?.Renewing Church Leaders to Bring Revival to America.Redeeming Christian Marriage to bring Revival to America.Donations to Wellspring Christian Ministries.Contemporary Christian Music to get you through COVID-19.Bible Studies, Books & Gifts from Christianbook Distributors. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |