Daily Devotion, January 5, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read 1 Kings 19:1-8.

Elijah must have been worn out after the period of wars and prayers and rain but he must also have been on an emotional and spiritual high. What sometimes happens after really BIG highs? We feel really BIG lows. We are exhausted and emotionally drained. Elijah must have felt that. He probably wanted to get some real R and R by the Mediterranean Sea. And then Ahab reported (tattled) to Jezebel saying that Elijah had killed the prophets of Baal. Jezebel was not too happy, so she threatened to kill Elijah. I'm sure all Elijah wanted at that time was to sit on the hammock, eat some figs, and rest in his victory but then a death threat reigns down on his head. So Elijah fled for some alone time in the wilderness. He found a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. In his solitude Elijah must have examined the ugly in his life. God allowed Elijah to rest. Elijah lay down and slept under the broom tree, a type of desert shrub, sometimes large enough to offer shade for those in need. Isn't that what we all need? We need a broom tree to find peace and quiet, solitude. God spoke and told Elijah to eat. There beside his head Elijah discovered some baked bread and a jar of water. In the solitude, God was providing for Elijah. Then God allowed Elijah to rest some more. God's angel told Elijah to eat again because there was a long journey ahead of him. Elijah obeyed and gained enough strength to travel forty days to Mount Sinai. 

It is under our own broom tree where we may learn the most important lessons of life. The broom tree is where we can encounter God. It's the place where we are vulnerable. It is the place where we can surrender our will to God. It's the place where he wants to find us so that we can explain ourselves and so that he can reveal himself. Our broom tree is where we go for solitude so that we can really experience our own personal victory of faith. Personal Worship Option:

Consider yourself under the broom tree of God’s protection and love today. What do you want to tell him? Explain your heartaches or share your blessings with him. Then listen as he reveals himself to you.