By Dr. Daven Watkins

Have you ever had to deal with the broom tree blues?  Have you ever been down, depressed, despondent, and ready to throw in the spiritual towel?  If you haven’t, chances are you might at some point in your life.  The American Psychiatric Association describes depression as a depressed mood and/or a lack of interest in routine aspects of life. The symptoms and causes of depression are numerous and widespread. Symptoms of depression can include feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt; inability to concentrate or make decisions; fatigue; insomnia or hypersomnia; or recurrent thoughts of death or suicide. The causes for these symptoms vary tremendously. It could be caused by stress, guilt, heredity, or a significant life change. Regardless of depression’s cause, there is always a sense of loss associated with it. The loss could be real or perceived but regardless there is some sense of loss. Depression does not discriminate. It can affect young and old; rich and poor; male and female; Christian and non-Christian. Depression has been identified as the second most common cause of disability in the world only behind cardiovascular disease. Have you ever had to deal with the broom tree blues?

If you have, then please know that you are not alone. Some of God’s best and brightest have suffered from soul-crushing depression. Perhaps one of the most familiar of these biblical characters is Elijah. We catch up with the prophet in I Kings 19:1-18.  In the previous chapters, Elijah stood as the victorious prophet on Mt. Carmel. The 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah had been decisively defeated and the LORD had proven himself as the one, true God.  To complete the majestic miracle, God broke the three-year drought by bringing the rain clouds over the horizon.  Elijah gave the orders saying, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’”  We might expect Elijah to be carried off Mt. Carmel on the shoulders of the exuberant Israelites much like a victorious coach is carted off the field following a Super Bowl victory but we read at the conclusion of I Kings 18, “Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel.  The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and tucking his cloak into his belt he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.”  In the aftermath of this Mt. Carmel moment, Elijah ran a marathon in record time.  It is approximately 27 miles from Mt. Carmel to Jezreel and the prophet outran Ahab’s chariot and arrived in the city before Israel’s king.  Elijah must have been thoroughly exhausted when he received the death threat from the king’s wicked wife named Jezebel who said, “Tell Elijah – May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”  When Elijah heard this threat, he ran for his life traveling as far south as he could possibly go.  He came to Beersheba, some ninety miles south of Jezreel in the southernmost tip of Judah.  Leaving his personal servant there, Elijah traveled a day’s journey into the desert.  He came to a broom tree and collapsed from sheer exhaustion – I would have too after running over a hundred miles – and he cried out to the LORD saying, “I have had enough, LORD.  Take me life for I am no better than my ancestors.”  Elijah suffered from what you call depression and I call the broom tree blues.  He was fatigued after running a marathon from Mt. Carmel to Jezreel and then he traveled ninety miles south to Beersheba.  He had feelings of worthlessness and was preoccupied with death and suicide.  Jezebel had rattled his cage.  He was ready to submit his resignation, call it quits, throw in the towel, and die.  “I have had enough.  I cannot take it anymore!”  

Today I want us to take special note of how God dealt with Elijah.  First, God replenished the prophet’s physical needs.  We read in the middle of verse five, “All at once an angel touched Elijah and said, “Get up and eat.”  He looked around and thereby his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals and a jar of water.  He ate and drank and then lay down again.  The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him saying, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.”  So he got up and ate and drank.”  Before the LORD addressed Elijah’s deepest needs, He replenished the prophet’s physical needs.  If physical needs are not met then it does little good to try to address the deeper spiritual needs of a person suffering from the broom tree blues.  Did you know that outside of the resurrection of Jesus there is only one other miracle that is recorded for us in all four of the Gospels?  It is the miraculous feeding of the 5,000.  In Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John we are told that Jesus and his disciples were attempting to retreat to a solitary place but when they loaded the boat, Jesus saw the crowds and had compassion on them. It was growing late and Jesus knew that the people needed food.  Instead of Jesus simply giving the congregation a sermon to feast on, he said to his disciples, “Give them something to eat.”  The disciples did not know what they were going to do.  There were no McDonald’s, Pizza Huts, or Taco Bells on the Palestinian hillside and the disciples did not have enough food to feed such a large crowd.  All they could find was a young boy willing to give up his lunch of five small barley loaves of bread and a couple of small fish.  What could Jesus do with a few crackers and a couple of sardines?  Jesus took the food, blessed it, multiplied it, and fed it to the crowd.  Everyone ate and was completely satisfied.  Jesus addressed the physical needs of the people so that he could meet the spiritual needs.  That is how he dealt with the crowds and that is how he dealt with the prophet.  This may be where he starts with you.  Far too often we neglect our physical needs of healthy food, regular rest, and sufficient amounts of water.  

Second, God reminded the prophet of his sustaining power.  Have you ever noticed in the life of Elijah that bread and water keep popping up?  They are more than mere symbols of physical needs.  They serve as spiritual flashbacks of God’s sustaining power.  In I Kings 17:2, the Lord took Elijah to the Kerith Ravine and sustained him thereby causing ravens to bring him bread in the morning and bread in the evening and he drank from the crystal clear water of the brook.  The Lord commanded ravines, the selfish cousins of the vulture family, to supply bread twice a day!  In I Kings 17:10, we find the prophet in Zarephath and he asks the God-ordained widow to bake him a piece of bread and bring him a glass of water.  In Kings 18, Elijah bumps into Obadiah, who is God’s prophet, and we are told that while Jezebel was killing off God’s prophets one-by-one Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and had hidden them in two caves of fifty each and had been supplying them with bread and water.  Now in I Kings 19, the LORD provided bread and water for the fatigued prophet who is exhausted under the broom tree.  Bread and water just keep popping up in the text as if to serve as Elijah’s spiritual flashbacks to remind him of God’s sustaining power.  Through this object lesson, God is saying to the prophet, “Elijah I have sustained you in the past so trust that I will sustain you now.”  This just might be a good reminder to you today!  The LORD who sustained you in the past will take care of you today.  Remember the words of the hymn-writer, “Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come.  It is grace that brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home.”  When you and I find ourselves experiencing the broom tree blues we are tempted to believe that our present crisis is too big for God to handle but let me remind you of some spiritual flashbacks.  Did not our God create the world out of nothing by simply speaking it into existence?  Did not our God preserve Noah and his family through the worldwide flood?  Did not our God provide a substitute so Abraham’s son Isaac could be spared?  Did not our God send his Son our Savior through a virgin girl?  Did not our God raise Jesus from the dead?  Did not our God protect His saints throughout the ages in spite of devilish schemes and unthinkable persecution?  Did not our God make a way when there seemed to be no way?  Did not our God promise us a home in heaven where the rose never fades and tears are wiped away?  Beloved, there is no problem too great, no sin too gross, no past too embarrassing, no prognosis too bleak, no child too wayward, no marriage too messed up, no life too broken, and no culture too far gone for our God.  It is grace that brought us safe thus far and grace will lead us home!  Praise God for spiritual flashbacks.

Third, God responded with sincere compassion.  Strengthened by that food, Elijah traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Mt. Horeb, the mountain of God.  The LORD took Elijah back to the place where he called Moses from a burning bush.  The LORD took Elijah back to the place where God’s people returned to worship Him.  The LORD took Elijah back to the place where the Ten Commandments were given.  The LORD asked the prophet, “What are you doing here?”  Elijah responded, “I have a bone to pick with you.  I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty.  The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword.  I am the only one left and now they are trying to kill me too.”  The LORD did not respond by ridiculing Elijah or even chastising him.  He simply invited him to go and stand in his presence.  God responded to Elijah with sincere compassion.  The man of God needed to stand in the presence of God.  What do you need today?  I suppose you could give me a grocery list of various needs but beloved let me tell you that more than anything else you need to accept the invitation to come and stand in the presence of God Almighty.  It is a place where you can find security and help.  There was a powerful wind but the LORD was not in the wind.  There was a thunderous earthquake but the LORD was not in the earthquake.  There was a fire but the LORD was not in the fire.  Then came a gentle whisper and when Elijah heard that voice he recognized it as belonging to the LORD so he went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.  Once again the wind, earthquake, and fire served as spiritual flashbacks for I can well imagine all of those components were found on Mt. Carmel as the LORD showed up in might and showed off in mercy but on this mountain God did not speak in the wind, earthquake, or fire.  On Mt. Horeb, the LORD whispered to Elijah.  He asked once again, “What are you doing here?” and Elijah replied in the same way.  All the while God responded with sincere compassion. 

Fourth, God restored hope and healing.  Whenever you find yourself experiencing the broom tree blues, realize that God is not through with you.  The LORD said, “Go back the way you came.  I will not accept your resignation nor will I grant your prayer to take your life.  I still have more for you to do.  I need you to anoint two kings – one over Aram/Syria and the other over Israel.  You need to realize that I have jurisdiction not only in Israel but over every nation on the planet.  I also need you to anoint your successor – Elisha.  I will do the fighting for you and by the way, I have reserved a remnant of 7000 in Israel whose knees have not bowed to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”  God restored hope to Elijah.  There is not a lot of talk of hope these days but I must confess that my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and his righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.  On Christ the solid Rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.  When I experience the broom tree blues I remind myself that my Jesus climbed up another tree.  He nailed my broom tree blues to Calvary’s cross.  My fears – he nailed to the cross.  My troubles – he nailed to the cross.  My failures – he nailed to the cross.  My insecurities – he nailed to the cross.  My guilt – he nailed to the cross.  My despair – he nailed to the cross.  My worthlessness – he nailed to the cross.  My loneliness – he nailed to the cross.  And though he was dead and buried, on the third day he rose with hope and healing in his hands so because he lives I can face tomorrow; because He lives all fear is gone; because I know He holds the future and life is worth the living just because he lives.