Today we are starting a new series “Under a Tree”...

    ...that I feel is going to resonate with many. Sometimes we find ourselves in a place much like Elijah. He is running from Jezebel. 1 Kings 19:1-8 (NLT2) “Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life.” We feel one more criticism from our spouse, one more negative thing from a church member, one more straw on the camel’s back and something is going to break. We hear about a wonderful breakthrough: Gordon MacDonald, “We were trying harder, working longer, breathing heavier, and getting wearier. And it was an unpleasant journey when it should not have been. We would have never admitted it, but we were tired of God, of faith, and faith’s people. Now, how could a call to abundant living turn into such dullness of spirit. That we should tire of Him was not God’s fault. Rather this weariness calls into question the system of spirituality many of us have been taught.” 

1. Between the promise and the prize there is a process. It is during the process where the battle is won or lost. We can all come worship God on Sundays or Wednesdays, but we need more. Until we become transparent about the alone times and the struggles we have, it will be hard for us to find healing and wholeness in our lives. We all have been hurt or we have hurts we are dealing with now. Luke 4:18 (NCV) “God sent me to free those who have been treated unfairly.” There it is…God sent Me to free those who have been treated unfairly. During the quiet times we try to process why people and even why God is treating us unfairly. 

2. It is much easier to tell others how to get out of their pit than to get out of ours. Psalm 40:1-3 (NKJV) “I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, “ We just want to hear he is out of the pit. God wants to bring you out of your pit, to set your feet upon the Rock (Jesus), and to put a new song in your heart. 

3. I can’t stay under this tree. So why am I preaching this series? I believe there is a real group of American Christians who are growing more and more weary as they continue on this journey.1 Kings 19:4 (NLT2) ^“He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life.” Elijah was physically, spiritually, and emotionally worn out.  God had a word for him and for us!

Get up and eat! Declare…I Can’t Stay Under This Tree Anymore!