“He [Elijah] came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.” (1 Kings 19:4-5, NIV)
Elijah was let down, run down, and broke down. The stress and pressure in his life finally caught up to him. He crawled under the shade of the broom tree, curled into a fetal position, and had a good cry. Elijah was worn out: spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
Do you ever find yourself under a broom tree having a pity party? We all do from time to time. We live in a world of hypertension and stress. We’re too busy. We’re too connected. We’re constantly bombarded with horrible, terrible, no good, very bad news.
I was reminded of that last week, when, in the middle of my Sunday sermon, every phone in church rang out with an Amber Alert. People, shut your phones off! It was funny…even funnier when a few people’s phones played the second Amber Alert! But then you start to think…we live in a world where Amber Alerts are necessary…where children are abducted. Thinking too long about these things leads to nervousness, anxiety, discouragement, depression, frustration, despondency.
We start looking for the nearest broom tree.
Elijah was there…but he didn’t stay there. He may have camped out under the tree, but he didn’t live there. He got up and moved on. God showed him how.
Join us Sunday to find out how in my sermon “Let Down, Run Down, Broke Down.” God’s got a great plan for you…and it ain’t under a broom tree!
