“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” (1 Kings 19:4).

What a terrible thing for us to read today! On the other hand what a practical lesson we can learn from it! Elijah performs valiantly in ministry in 1 Kings 18. Now, exhausted and discouraged, he flees from the threats of wicked Jezebel and collapses under a juniper tree as he asks the Lord to die. Here is the lesson for every servant of the Lord. After valiant ministry comes the very real possibility of deep discouragement.  I have met many pastors who have experienced very similar despair. You don’t need to be pastors to have this happen to you. It is possible to serve the Lord with great success. Then not too far off in the future, discouragement can come with significance. For help, please go to my website www.michaelpeck.org. Click Pastors and then click Resources. Please take a few minutes to read “When You are the Busiest and the Ministry is Demanding.”

For today: How patient the Lord is with us. I am so thankful for that. How about you?