From the Mountain-Top to the Valley: Guarding Against Cultivating a Juniper Tree

I have been studying the life of Elijah for the past few weeks and I can tell you I have received on numerous occasions a freshness of God's Word. Sometimes I think when I read scripture, I do so with staleness, reading it just so I can check it off my never-ending "To Do List." Does anyone else feel that way? But I have to say, immersing in Elijah again has brought about a sense of refreshment, newness, and vitality. This past week has given me such encouragement has I read, studied and applied the words of 1 Kings 19. If you are not familiar with this portion in the life of Elijah, I encourage you to read it and pray through it. God will give you as He did me a new vision of Himself.

What a mountain-top experience Elijah encountered in 1 Kings 18. He called fire and rain down from Heaven; he stood tow-to-tow with the prophets of Baal. In short, Elijah claimed victory in the name of God. God's holiness, righteousness, justice was evident that day. At the end of chapter 18, Elijah continues "running" (pun intended) on God's power.

But now comes chapter 19. How can Elijah who just demonstrated the awesome power of the living God to hundreds of idolaters, now be in what John Bunyan calls the "slough (swamp) of despond"? From the mountain-top to the valley. This chapter shows Elijah at his lowest moment, a man who is physically exhausted, mentally strained and spiritually our to touch. Listen to his words: "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 my life, for I am not better than my fathers.'" I know I have felt like this before. Well, I have never wanted to die or have the Lord take my life, but I often find myself taxed because of the ministry God has called me to, thinking to myself, "Is it worth. How do I find time to study and prepare? It takes time and drains me mentally" Even as I write these words, I am thinking, "wow, now that sounds like self-pity." That is exactly where Elijah finds himself, and where I have found myself, and perhaps where you find yourself.

Notice that Elijah is sitting under a Juniper Tree; "sitting under a Juniper Tree" became a common English phrase which meant "to show anger toward God, to feel like a failure, to be discouraged, to want to call it quits." Moses sat under his own Juniper Tree, metaphorically speaking in Numbers 11:10-15. Jonah too sat under his own Juniper Tree in Jonah 4:1-4. There have been times that I have sat under my Juniper Tree? Are there times that you have sat under yours? Yours might be now. I am thankful that currently I am not cultivating my Juniper Tree, but at the same time I must be thankful for when those moments come in my life. If I stay there, I am not performing the task that God has called me to? If I stay there, I will eventually let a complaining, petty spirit control my attitude. If I stay there, I continue to walk by sight and not by faith. If I stay there, I am walking disobediently and thinking of self.

I love what Matthew Henry says, "Wherever God’s children are, as they are still upon their Father’s ground, so they are still under their Father’s eye and care. They may lose themselves in a wilderness, but God has not lost them." That is AWESOME. The passage in 1 Kings 19 teaches me how tenderly and patiently God deals with His children. God constantly has His eyes on us, but I often take my eyes off Him. When I do, I lose focus; I then focus on the wrong priorities. Despite all of Elijah's weaknesses and my weaknesses, God still sustains; God still shows His power to transform; God still gives a new vision of Himself. Sometimes that is what I need. In my estimation, God often is too small; I put him in a box and won't allow Him to work; or I shelve Him and pull Him out only when I need Him.

Despite his flaws, Elijah was still sensitive to God's gentle whisper and acted obediently to who God wanted Him to be and what He wanted Him to do. The Juniper Trees my grow in my life and I may continue to cultivate them, but this must only be for a season rather than gain permanence in my life. Instead, I need to live like the Psalmist writes in Psalm 16:7-8:

7 I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
8 I have set the LORD always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

It is obvious that Elijah was worn out in the service of God. He was messed up, depressed, discouraged, stressed-out, burned out, mentally fried, physically drained, and spiritually out of sorts. I am reassured that this mountain man from Gilead is just like me (and you) at times, as James notes in 5:17. Even though I my get worn out, I can always be encouraged that God will meet me at my lowest point as He did Elijah. God is good, ALL of the time.