I’ve Had Enough

[Elijah] came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said.

1 Kings 19:4, NIV

I must admit that sometimes I laugh out loud when I am reading God’s Word. I had that reaction when I pondered today’s verse.

How many times have I said those exact words to God? “I have had enough, Lord!” I laugh when I see myself in Bible stories, even when God uses the examples to pierce my heart, exposing my sin and my need to ask for His forgiveness. But I also see how personal God is and how much He loves me!

Elijah was afraid and running for his life when he just plopped down under a tree and prayed to die. I’ve shared about the difficulties and discouragement I dealt with during our early years of marriage. Mark and I were both believers in Christ but total opposites, and my expectations were off the charts. I remember thinking we committed ourselves out loud to God and in front of a lot of people, and we committed for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part. Well, that very year we had the poorer, the sickness, and the worse, so the death part looked good! Seriously!

I really felt like I’d had enough. But what happened to Elijah happened to me. God came through then, and He hasn’t stopped yet! In the rest of 1 Kings 19 we see specifically the kindness of God toward Elijah. God fed him, talked with him, listened to his complaint, gave him courage, and provided assistance. God can do all those things and more for us.

God is always enough! If you’re feeling weary today, ask God to surprise you with His provision.