"Elijah's Tree" by Kirk Hunt

But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. (1 Kings 19:4 KJV)

The fire-marked victory at Mount Carmel is now forgotten in a dim, distant past. Only 72 hours after the nation had returned to God, Elijah lay beaten and despondent. The juniper tree witnessed Elijah's despair and defeat.

Elijah lay under that juniper because of a change in focus. For just a moment he stopped looking at God's power. His dangerous and desperate circumstances had been there all along. Elijah made the mistake of looking around, instead of up.

God delights in using frail, limited mortals to accomplish impossible, eternal tasks. As long as we focus on Him, everything works fine. The second we rely on ourselves, disaster strikes.

The Elijah under the tree is the same man on the top of Mount Carmel. At Carmel, his faith had been in Jehovah-Jireh, the God who provides. Under the tree, he could only see what his limited human resources could accomplish. No wonder he panicked.

At Elijah's tree, you see just how little you can do. If you look within, you will find too little for the task at hand. If you choose to seek God's power, you will find an unlimited source of strength.

Think: I must keep my focus on God.

Pray: “Lord, help me to focus on You and rely on Your unlimited power and strength.”

Copyright © November 2007, Kirk Hunt