It Is Enough

“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 away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.” (1Ki 19:4 AV)

 

Been there done that.  Elijah had just come through an experience wherein God used him greatly.  He felt all alone.  Now, Queen Jezebel seeks his life.  Elijah is burned out!  He had fought one too many battles.  He is drained beyond his capacity.  Praying fire down from heaven was as dramatic as miracles get.  Probably second only to the parting of the Red Sea at the prayers of Moses, what Elijah did in the name of the LORD was dramatic, to say the least.  At the end of this miracle, the people of Israel killed all the false prophets and priests of Baal.  These were the Queen’s ministers.  This is why she was so upset.  Other than one hundred prophets of God that the servant of the king hid in caves, Elijah believed himself to be the only one.  Mind you, Elijah was not bitter.  HE was simply burned out.  We can all get this way.  It is enough.  I cannot go on any further.  I have had it.  I’m finished.  There isn’t anything that will get me out of bed today.  There is nothing more I can do.  The thing is, Elijah had fifteen more years of ministry before God took him home.

Delivering newspapers in the snow is not for the weak.  Especially when you weigh less than than a sack of potatoes half-eaten.  As a child, I had the responsibility of delivering newspapers.  Our family had three routes.  Two morning routes and one evening route.  The rule of thumb was if one of us was sick, the other two would divide the third route and deliver newspapers for our ill sibling.  It was ok for the one who had the evening route.  He or she delivered in the morning and evening.  However, if such an illness fell on a Sunday, that was bad.  Saturdays and Sundays the evening route became a morning route.  Sunday papers were ten times thicker than all the other days.  So, if one of our siblings got sick on a Sunday, that would not be good.  I can remember one such Sunday.  My sister Deb was ill.  Mary and I were tasked to deliver our own routes and then deliver Deb’s.  Deb’s route had two streets that ran uphill.  Cherry Street and Hyde Park.  This particular Sunday there was significant snow on the ground.  In the winter, we used wooden sleighs called toboggans.  Yes, my southern friends.  A toboggan is a sled, not a hat!  Anyway, pulling that toboggan uphill with fifty pounds of newspapers is not easy for a lightweight ten-year-old.  Needless to say, I reached my limit.  I sat down on that sleigh and could go no further.  Tears were streaming down my face as I looked at the massive hill before me.  I knew I had many more deliveries to make and no strength to do it.  There I was.  At the end of myself with more to do and no ability to do it.  It was enough.

What needs to be observed is God never chastens Elijah for how he felt.  Why would He?  Elijah had given one-thousand percent and he was simply tired out.  God never compared Elijah against Elisha noting Elisha performed more and often greater miracles than he did.  We all have our own level of tolerance and endurance.  This is not a criticism or critique.  It is a statement of fact.  The LORD acknowledged Elijah’s condition.  God provided rest.  God provided nourishment.  God provided encouragement.  And God provided purpose equal to Elijah’s ability.  There is nothing wrong with that!  To feel like we are at the end of our rope is not wrong.  In fact, it is healthy.  To know when to sit down and have a good sob is a healthy thing.  Elijah may have felt like he was quitting.  God didn’t let him.  Elijah perhaps hoped the LORD would have agreed with him and let him off the hook for any further ministry.  But He didn’t.  What the LORD did do was heal Elijah and adjusted the last fifteen years of his life to accommodate Elijah’s constitution.  It is not wrong to feel it is enough.  It is what we do afterward that matters.