Pastor Jeff Anders picks up Elijah — God’s Praying Prophet on Sunday evening right where the morning service left off: with God’s praying prophet sitting under a juniper tree, telling the Lord it is enough and asking Him to take his life (1 Kings 19:4). This morning’s question was why a sovereign God would let His man get to that point. Tonight Pastor Anders keeps answering it. Elijah received God’s rest under that tree, and he also received God’s provision and God’s strength. The text is 1 Kings 19:1–8, with help from John 6, Exodus 14, the songs and psalms of David, Isaiah 40–41, and Paul’s thorn in the flesh in 2 Corinthians 12.
Where We Left Elijah
When Elijah got to praying, things started turning up. The rain dried up. The provision showed up, at the brook Cherith and at the widow’s house in Zarephath. The dead rose up when God raised the widow’s son. The sacrifice burned up when Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal and God sent the fire. The clouds opened up, and after three and a half years without rain the drought was over and the people cried out that the Lord, He is God (1 Kings 17–18).
Jezebel was furious. Those were her gods and her prophets. Some of God’s prophets had already been killed, and many of the rest were in hiding, secretly cared for by people like Obadiah, who served in Ahab’s own house (1 Kings 18). After Ahab told her that Elijah had the prophets of Baal killed with the sword, she sent Elijah a note: what happened to them will happen to you by this time tomorrow (1 Kings 19:1–2). Pastor Anders said that if you have ever gotten a nasty note, it was nothing next to this one. Elijah ran to Beersheba in Judah, went on into the wilderness, sat under a juniper tree, and prayed to die: it is enough; take my life, for I am not better than my fathers (1 Kings 19:3–4).
How He Got There (Review)
- Exhausted — the sacrifice on Mount Carmel, the slaughter of the 450 prophets of Baal, his agonizing prayer for rain, the storm, the sprint to Jezreel, and then another flight to Beersheba.
- Hungry — he had not eaten adequately, and exhaustion combined with hunger can make you despondent.
- Disappointed — he probably thought revival would sweep Israel, and Jezebel put her foot on it.
- Afraid and anxious — his life was on the line, and he was on the move.
- Lonely — twice he told God, I only am left, and they seek my life (1 Kings 19:10; 1 Kings 19:14). He was not alone. The Lord was with him, and other prophets were hiding. But you can be in a crowd and feel alone. You can be emotionally isolated even when you are surrounded by people.
This is God’s man, the one God had His hand on. So why would God let him get to the point of throwing in the towel? God could have stopped Jezebel at any time. Instead He let her go on a while longer, and later He dealt with her. Pastor Anders said Elijah got up from under that tree because he got hold of God in prayer and the Lord met him there. Then he gave three things Elijah received that he may not have received any other way.
1. The Rest of God
This was the morning’s point. Elijah lay down and slept under the juniper tree, and the Lord touched him, woke him, fed him, and let him go back to sleep (1 Kings 19:5–6). When you find yourself in a place like this, you need rest. Part of that is physical, because our bodies need sleep. But it is also the rest of faith, the rest of trust, the rest of surrender.
2. The Provision of God
Elijah was not only exhausted but hungry. As he slept, an angel touched him and said, arise and eat. Time to wake up, Elijah; you need something in your body so you can be strengthened. He didn’t go to McDonald’s or Culver’s. He looked, and there was a cake baking on the coals and a jar of water at his head. He ate and drank and lay down again (1 Kings 19:5–6). Pastor Anders said he did not know what kind of cake it was, but it was exactly what Elijah needed, and the water was exactly the water he needed. God knew.
The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and told him to arise and eat again, because the journey ahead was too great for him. Elijah went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God (1 Kings 19:7–8). Pastor Anders noted the irony: forty years for Israel in the wilderness, and forty days now for Elijah.
The point is the provision of God. Under that juniper tree you see a man who really needs what God has, and only God can provide it. If he had not been under that tree, he might have gone to McDonald’s or Culver’s and gotten what he needed some other way. Maybe God let him get there just so he could receive this provision.
Manna in the Wilderness
Israel saw the same thing in the wilderness. Every morning there was manna on the ground, and now and then God brought water out of a rock or had a tree thrown into bitter water to make it sweet. There were hundreds of thousands of them, maybe a couple of million, needing a lot of food and a lot of water, and God provided for them even while they wandered under His judgment and chastisement. Someone might have thought, surely one of these mornings God will say, no more manna for you, I’m done with you. But every morning, there it was again. The name manna basically means “what is it?” They didn’t know what it was, but it was exactly what they needed to get them through. And they would never have eaten manna if they had not been in a place of need.
Bread in a Deserted Place (John 6)
Jesus took His disciples across the Sea of Galilee, the Sea of Tiberias, to get away and rest for a while. But a great multitude followed because they saw His miracles. He looked up, saw the crowd, and asked Philip where they would buy bread so these people could eat. He said it to test Philip, because He already knew what He would do. Philip answered that two hundred pennyworth of bread would not be enough for everyone to get even a little (John 6:1–7).
There were five thousand men, not counting the women and children. Pastor Anders compared it to the church’s festival the day before, with 250 to 300 people and food everywhere: chili, hot dogs, pulled pork, desserts, and candy. He said he was telling the ones who weren’t there so they would be a little jealous. Out in that deserted place, though, all they had was what Andrew found: a little boy’s lunch of barley loaves and a couple of small fish. Jesus had the people sit down in companies, blessed the food, and gave it to the disciples to distribute. Everybody ate until they were full, and there were baskets of leftovers (John 6:8–13).
They saw that day what they would never have seen if they had not been in that deserted place, that place of desperation. The Lord had it all settled; He just let Philip spend a few moments trying to figure it out himself.
And what they needed most was not bread for their bellies but life for their souls. The next day Jesus preached to the same crowd. Moses did not give them the true bread from heaven; the Father gives the true bread from heaven, the one who comes down and gives life to the world. When they asked for that bread, Jesus said, I am the bread of life: whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes on Me will never thirst (John 6:32–35). He presented the gospel to them, and they listened because they had come to recognize their need.
If you find yourself like Elijah, or like that crowd in the deserted place, saying, “It’s enough, Lord, I wish You’d take me home,” it may be that God has brought you to that desperate place because He has something He wants to provide for you. It could be something you would never have thought you needed at any other time.
3. The Strength of God
Elijah went forty days and nights on the strength of that food, all the way to Mount Horeb, where he would have a real encounter with God. Pastor Anders said he will get to that in another service. Sometimes God gets us into a place just so we can experience His rest, His provision, and His power and strength.
Backed Up Against the Red Sea (Exodus 14)
Moses led Israel out of the bondage of Egypt and found them pinned between the Red Sea in front and Pharaoh’s army behind. It wasn’t just a Jezebel trying to destroy them; it was Pharaoh and his whole army. They had nowhere to go. Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind all that night. The waters divided, and Israel went through on dry ground with a wall of water on the right hand and on the left (Exodus 14:21–22). Moses was strengthened to hold out that rod all night long. When Pharaoh’s army followed, the waters came crashing back, and their bodies washed up on the shore. Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea (Exodus 14:29). That day they saw a demonstration of the hand, the power, and the strength of God, and they saw it because they were in a desperate place.
David Sang About God’s Strength
David was in tough spots over and over: enemies fighting against him, and King Saul trying to destroy him. Pastor Anders read from David’s song. In his distress he called on the Lord, and his cry entered God’s ears. God is his strength and power and makes his way perfect. God girded him with strength for battle and subdued those who rose up against him (2 Samuel 22:7; 2 Samuel 22:33; 2 Samuel 22:40). God put David in tough spots so he could experience the strength he was singing about.
- The Lord is their strength, the saving strength of His anointed. Save Your people, bless Your inheritance, feed them, and lift them up forever (Psalm 28:8–9).
- God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).
- God vows to strengthen His anointed, David. The enemy will not exact upon him, and God will beat down his foes before his face (Psalm 89:20–23).
They That Wait Upon the Lord (Isaiah 40–41)
Have you not known? The everlasting God, the Lord, does not faint and is not weary, and there is no searching of His understanding (Isaiah 40:28). He knows everything and has all power. He never gets tired or worn out. The Lord will never end up under a juniper tree saying it is enough. And He gives power to the faint and increases strength for those who have no might. Even young people faint and grow weary and fall, but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They will mount up, run and not be weary, and walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:29–31).
If you are sitting under a juniper tree, wait on Him. Just like Elijah, He will strengthen you. He has a cake cooked up just for you, exactly what you need for whatever you have to face. He knows what it will take to get you where you need to be. He showed up for Elijah, and He will show up every time for His people. Fear not, He says, for I am with you. I will strengthen you, help you, and hold you up (Isaiah 41:10). He will hold your right hand and say, fear not, I will help you.
Paul’s Thorn: Strength Made Perfect in Weakness (2 Corinthians 12)
Paul stands out in the New Testament much as Elijah does in the Old, yet God let him get into some really tough spots so he could experience God’s power and strength. Paul had received great revelations, even being caught up into heaven. So that he would not be exalted above measure, he was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan sent to buffet him (2 Corinthians 12:7). The devil was behind it and worked through people and means to try to destroy Paul, and God allowed it.
The Bible doesn’t say Paul said, “Lord, I’ve had enough,” but Pastor Anders said he could almost hear it. Paul prayed three times for God to remove it. Not once, not twice. He waited on the Lord and kept praying until the Lord spoke: My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:8–9). If you want to experience God’s perfect strength, you have to be weakened. Pastor Anders said that if that is what it takes, he is thankful for his weakness.
So Paul said he takes pleasure in infirmities, reproaches, necessities, persecutions, and distresses for Christ’s sake, because when he is weak, then he is strong (2 Corinthians 12:10). In those weak moments we pray like we don’t pray when we aren’t weak. We seek Him with all our hearts instead of just saying prayers, and that is when He shows up in strength. None of those things sounds like fun. They are the very things we run from and use every resource we have to avoid. But they are what God uses to weaken us and make us needy, so that like Elijah we cry out to Him and find in Him everything we need.
God Was Getting Elijah Ready
God was preparing to do a work through Elijah. A ministry was about to unfold, and Elijah was about to anoint new leaders. Pastor Anders said he would tell more in another message so the church would want to come back. First, under that tree, God rested him, fed him, and strengthened him, doing a work in him so He could use him in the days ahead. So cry out to God like Elijah did. When He shows up, you will have exactly what you need. Elijah needed rest, and he got it. He needed food, and boy did he get it. And he needed strength. Pastor Anders said you can get it at the throne of grace.
He closed by praying that God’s people would get surrendered and yielded and keep on seeking His face, and that the Spirit of God would work on the hearts of the lost in the room and save them.
Take-Homes
- Elijah ended up under the juniper tree exhausted, hungry, disappointed, afraid, anxious, and lonely (1 Kings 19:1–4; 1 Kings 19:10; 1 Kings 19:14).
- You can be in a crowd and still feel alone.
- A sovereign God allowed it because Elijah would receive things there he might not receive any other way.
- First, the rest of God: physical rest, and the rest of faith, trust, and surrender (1 Kings 19:5–6).
- Second, the provision of God: a cake on the coals and a jar of water, exactly what he needed, twice (1 Kings 19:5–7).
- Manna and the feeding of the five thousand were provisions that came in places of need (John 6:1–13).
- The deepest need is life for the soul. Jesus is the bread of life (John 6:32–35).
- Third, the strength of God: forty days and nights to Horeb in the strength of that food (1 Kings 19:8).
- God showed His strength at the Red Sea and in David’s battles (Exodus 14:21–29; 2 Samuel 22; Psalm 28:8–9; Psalm 46:1; Psalm 89:20–23).
- They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. Fear not, He is with you (Isaiah 40:28–31; Isaiah 41:10).
- His grace is sufficient. His strength is made perfect in weakness, so when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:7–10).
- Cry out to God at the juniper tree and keep praying. He will show up with exactly what you need.