Elijah's Broom Tree Break

Suddenly an angel touched Elijah and saying,

“Get up and eat.”

He looked, and there at his head was

a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water.

He ate and drank, and lay down again.

(from 1 Kings 19:4-8)

Since retiring from a preaching schedule and special needs school bus driving, I spend more time reading historical novels, biographies, and memoirs.

One memoir I appreciated was “A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier” which is story of war through the eyes of a child soldier.

The author tells how, at twelve years old, he fled attacking rebels in Sierra Leone, wandered a land made unrecognizable by violence, and by age thirteen, been picked up by the government army, and trained as a soldier.

By age 18, he moved to the United States finishing high school at the United Nations International School in New York.

In 2004 he graduated from Oberlin College with a B.A. in political science.

Elijah’s memoirs would include competition with the prophets of Ba‘al on Mount Carmel followed by queen Jezebel’s death threat and his fleeing into the desert.

Fleeing into the desert, he comes to a broom tree and prays to God, “I’ve had enough, take my life because I’m no better than my ancestors,” and falls asleep.

God’s Messenger wakes him up showing him warm bread and water.

He eats the meal and falls asleep again.

God’s Messenger wakes him a second time, giving him bread and water strengthening him for a journey of forty days and nights that lies ahead.

What is striking here is the action of God’s Messenger recognizing Elijah’s exhaustion and offering him rest and recovery.

As Elijah struggles with a personal situation, God’s Messenger consistently offers him care which empowers him to continue on his journey.

Elijah’s story is also our story: God consistently cares for us.

As we undergo personal ordeals, God’s Messenger consistently cares and empowers us to continue on our journey toward healing and wholeness.