What Are You Doing There?

The words in today’s verse of ‘Elijah under the broom tree’ have become a way of explaining the emotional state of someone ready to give up.  In the previous chapter (1 Kings 18) we read how Elijah had confronted Ahab, which led to the encounter on Mount Carmel where all the Baal prophets were defeated. Elijah received this huge victory in the strength of the Lord and fearlessly testified to God’s sovereignty over all.

The next Chapter, 1 Kings 19, starts off with Jezebel threatening to kill Elijah upon hearing how all the Baal prophets had been killed. Upon hearing this, Elijah reacted in fear and decided to run for his life. One might wonder how he so easily went from being victorious in the Lord in one situation, to the next where he found himself under a broom tree asking the Lord to take his life. Elijah had come to the end of his strength and was utterly spent. After all that had happened, he felt defeated and ready to give up.

There is so much to Elijah’s story, but I noticed that, even though Elijah was running away, he still turned to the Lord. Twice an angel of the Lord came to him where he was lying down under the broom tree and brought him much needed nourishment. The food gave Elijah enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. He spent the night in a cave, and this is where the Lord met with him: “And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9).

Elijah poured his heart out to the Lord and then the Lord met with him in a gentle whisper (verse 12). This wonderful encounter with the Lord encouraged and strengthened Elijah so deeply that he was ready to follow the Lord’s orders for his next mission. The Lord’s reaction to how Elijah was feeling, is one of the most beautiful pictures of fatherhood. God did not rebuke Elijah, but understood exactly what he was going through and why he was reacting in that way.

Maybe as you are reading this today, you are feeling exhausted, disillusioned and confused. Looking at ‘your tired hands and your weak knees’ (Hebrews 12:12), you may be asking yourself what you are doing here, in this place of despair. The Lord already knows where you are, and why. Just like Elijah, you can pour out your heart before Him and allow Him to strengthen and nourish you in the way He knows you need right now. Allow Him to ‘mark out a straight path for your feet so that you will not fall but become strong’ (Hebrews 12:13, NLT).