Today’s post is to encourage everyone who’s feeling afraid, sad, lonely, tired or discouraged by sharing with you how to go through trials and uncertainty with a lesson from the juniper tree. As well as teach four principles to apply in your wilderness moment or wilderness season as you seek comfort and guidance from the Lord.
Let’s look at a story in the holy scriptures that tells of Elijah, an Old Testament prophet, who felt overwhelmed and discouraged too. In the Old Testament, during the time of Elijah’s ministry, he was a prophet who stood for God in a time where most of Israel, God’s people, had turned away to serve the false god Baal.
A threat against Elijah’s life by the evil Queen Jezebel sent him on the run through the actual wilderness. Simultaneously, Elijah fought an internal wilderness of many emotions, as you too may be experiencing such as feeling loss, sad, overwhelmed and disappointed. He was in great desperation and depression. Although Elijah felt hopeless there was one thing that helped him in his wilderness moment-his discovery of a juniper tree. When he discovered this juniper tree, he sat under it and poured his heart out to the Lord.
Elijah’s cry to the Lord from under his juniper tree did not go unnoticed. The Lord God Almighty showed up, divinely providing for Elijah with compassion, comfort, provision, rest and care.
I want to share with you today that the Lord God is ready and able to divinely provide care and rest for you too, if only you’ll do like Elijah and find your own juniper tree.
To begin with, what is a Juniper Tree?
The juniper tree only shows up a couple of times in the Bible. In the context of what I’m sharing with you today, the juniper tree can be found in 1 Kings Chapter 19 verse 1-19.
Here’s the physical description and spiritual meaning of a juniper tree.
The physical description of the juniper tree, also called the broom bush in some versions of the Bible, thrives in harsh, rocky and dry environments. They grow in the wilderness.
The spiritual meaning of the juniper tree is Divine protection and rest.
Let’s pin these two concepts to reference later:
1) Juniper trees grow in the wilderness.
2) Juniper trees spiritually mean divine protection and rest.
The juniper tree symbolizes getting into God’s presence and receiving His divine protection and rest in your wilderness moment or season. He’s there when you’re feeling alone, sad, scared, uncertain, discouraged just like He was for Elijah in 1 Kings Chapter 19 verses 1-19 when Elijah found his juniper tree, stopped running, sat down and cried out.
Before I delve into Elijah and his juniper tree, I’m going to quickly summarize the previous chapter, 1 Kings 18 to share with you the cause of Elijah going on the run and entering his wilderness moment.
Here’s what happened: Elijah teamed up with the Lord God Almighty to perform one of the most telling miracles declaring God’s sovereignty in a time where Israel believed a lie. The lie was that there was another god other than Yahweh deserving of their worship and devotion. The Israelites, influenced by the Phoenician Queen Jezebel married to the Israelite King Ahab, were turned away from serving Yahweh to serve the false god Baal which was the god of Queen Jezebel.
The Bible tells us Elijah challenged Queen Jezebel and the prophets of Baal to prove who was the true God. The challenge required the prophets of Baal to call on Baal to request him to set fire to the bull sacrificed to him on their altar made for him. Chapter 18 verse 26 said the prophets called on Baal from morning to noon but got no answer. They even danced around the altar but still, no answer.
Elijah, knowing the Israelites accepted the lie and were making a fool of themselves, taunted them. He told them to shout louder but he knew nothing was going to come of their shouts. This is a reminder to us: no matter what idols we try to place before God; money, people, a relationship, an opportunity, career, our own pride, these things don’t have the power to sustain us. We’ll just be shouting at nothing, hoping to get a sign and getting nothing. Don’t put things and people before God.
Once the prophets of Baal were done with their evil charades, Elijah moved into action, setting up the moment where the Lord God was going to show the children of Israel once again that He is God and beside Him there is no other. Elijah, the prophet of Yahweh, built an altar to the Lord doing this very interesting thing: he put a bull on the altar, 12 stones representing the 12 tribes of Israel. Then he doused the altar with 12 large jars of water. Now there is wet wood that shouldn’t be able to be lit on fire unless you are Yahweh and nothing is impossible for you. Elijah declared to the prophets of Baal that when he calls on the name of the Lord, and the Lord sets the altar on fire after it was doused with water, they’ll all know Yahweh is God and Baal is not.
In verse 38-39 of chapter 18 Elijah prayed and the Lord graciously answered Elijah’s prayer. The fire hit the altar and Israel fell on their face proclaiming the Lord God is the One True Living God and Baal is not.
Well, this angered Queen Jezebel. Furious with Elijah Queen Jezebel swore on her own life that if she didn’t unalive him by the end of the day, let it happen to her.
In response to Queen Jezebel’s threat, Elijah took off running into the wilderness out of fear for his life. Elijah went from experiencing a wonderful miraculous moment with God to fleeing in desperation and depression. You see life can switch on you abruptly, causing you to enter a wilderness moment or wilderness season within the blink of an eye, depending on the extent of the issue you’re facing.
Picking up at 1 Kings Chapter 19 verse 1-19, Elijah flees to Beersheba, leaving his servant there. Elijah continues to run another day into the wilderness where he discovers his juniper tree.
Let’s unpin the two concepts we talked about earlier and see how this unfolds for you:
1) Juniper trees grow in the wilderness.
2) Juniper trees spiritually mean divine protection and rest.
1 Kings verse 3 of chapter 19 tells us Elijah, now in the wilderness, finally stops running, sits under a juniper tree and cries out to the Lord. What I love about Elijah’s prayer was his honesty with God about how he was feeling about his life.
Verse 3 reads:
“Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went on a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush (or the juniper tree), sat down under it and prayed... “I have had enough, Lord,” he said.”
Elijah was feeling low, sad, afraid and hopeless. This hopelessness came from the thought that things couldn’t get better because Israel kept going astray. This is when hopelessness usually sets in, when we lose hope that things can get better. But with God things can always get better when you put it in His hands. Whatever it is give it over to God under your juniper tree.
Moving on to verse 5-6, Elijah stops crying and falls asleep. The Angel of the Lord appears, touches Elijah, waking him up to fresh bread baked over hot coals and a jar of water. God knew exactly what Elijah needed. He loved Elijah, had compassion for him and provided what he needed. Elijah didn’t even ask for food, but God provided it anyway. God will provide for you even when you don’t know what to ask for. If all you can do is sit down under your juniper tree and cry out that’s all you need to do. Jehovah Jireh will provide.
I emphasize that juniper trees grow in the wilderness. If you’re in the wilderness and find your juniper tree there, God is right there with you in the wilderness too like He was for Elijah. Sometimes we enter difficult seasons and think God has left us or He’s not there with us. That is far from the truth. If you find your juniper tree that grows in the wilderness and sit under it, you’ll find in that same wilderness, God is there too.
After Elijah ate and drank he laid back down. It’s important to note that Elijah didn’t move from under the juniper tree quickly. He laid back down because he was not finished resting. If you’re still feeling heavy, sad, frustrated about your situation, don’t move from God’s presence too soon. Stay there until He fully strengthens and guides you because the divine protection and rest of God can only be found in the presence of the Lord God Almighty.
Psalm 91:1-2 reads,
“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
I encourage you to read the entire Psalm 91. Hide it in your heart. Make it the scripture you stand on as you’re waiting on God. In Psalm 91, God promises to protect you from your enemies, be faithful to you and provide what you need. But this Divine protection and rest is only found when YOU choose to dwell in, which means to sit, live or reside in the presence of the Lord.
In Elijah’s case, being in the presence of the Lord was sitting under the juniper tree. Where can you go to be in the presence of the Lord? Where can your spiritual juniper tree be? It can be wherever you can call on the name the Lord. Your juniper tree could be your prayer closet, the altar at church, talking to God while driving to work, lying in bed, or sitting right now. God will provide for you and tell you what you need to do to get you through your wilderness just like He did for Elijah. Whatever you do, just get into the presence of the Lord and tell Him what’s going on with you.
And that’s exactly what happened with Elijah. He stayed under the juniper tree resting. The second time the Angel of the Lord came back, gave Elijah more food so he could continue his journey to Horeb. Elijah ate and drank then was ready to head to Horeb where he gets the instructions from the Lord on what to do about his situation.
This brings us to the four ways to apply the principle of Juniper Tree to your life:
Principle 1: Stop running. Sit down. Cry it out. – Principle 1 is 3-fold.
First point of principle one: Stop running. Running denotes self-sufficiency and avoidance. If you’re running, then you can’t hear or are trying to fix it yourself. Stillness is a surrender. This is why Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” When you sit and wait for the Lord then your strength is renewed by Him then you’ll see the salvation of the Lord.
Isaiah 40:31 reads, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up on wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.”
King David said in Psalm 27:13-14, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”
You must stop and wait and believe that you’ll see the goodness of the Lord while you’re alive. Don’t lose hope. Please just wait.
Second point of principle one: Sit down. Again, the juniper tree symbolizes divine provision and rest. How can God provide an answer, healing or an open door if you aren’t sitting at His feet? Sit down. Tell him what’s going on. This sitting down allows Him the space to intervene so sit down and tell God what you need; what you want and how you feel. Be honest with Him just like Elijah was. Honesty creates humility. Humility brings deliverance. Humility is the admittance of the truth-you need God, and you can’t do life without Him.
1 Peter 5:5-7 reads “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you.”
Humble yourself and tell God what’s making you anxious.
Third point of principle one: Cry it out. If you’re hurting, sad or lonely, the Lord is close to you.
Psalm 34:18-19 reads, “The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;”
If you have a broken heart the Lord is with you. He’s drawn to you because you need His healing, and He is ready and available to love on you. The Lord will deliver you. That’s scripture. Cry and tell God what has broken your heart or crushed your spirit. He’s listening.
Principle 2: Don’t get up from the Juniper Tree until the Lord gives you complete strength.
Hebrews 4:16 reads, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
If you’re in a wilderness you need mercy and grace. The mercy and grace of the Lord will give you the strength to endure through the wilderness until you get a breakthrough:
In 2 Corinthians 12: 8-9 Paul tells us in his time of trouble, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
The first time the Angel of the Lord appeared to Elijah giving him food and water, Elijah ate and drank but laid back down. Due to the state of mind Elijah was in he needed spiritual and physical rest. He was not ready to leave the juniper tree even though the Lord had appeared to him the first time. For example, if you’re heartbroken don’t rebound and get into another relationship, go to your juniper tree and lay down; rest let the Lord heal you. If you’ve been betrayed by someone you don’t know or a close friend, don’t go get revenge. Go to your juniper tree and lay down; rest and let the Lord heal you and tell you how to handle your situation. If you’re a single parent and the financial, spiritual, emotional and mental needs of your children are on your shoulders, don’t give up. Go to your juniper tree and lay down; rest and let the Lord strengthen and provide for you. If you have aging parents, are the caregiver or your loved one is sick, go to your juniper tree and lay down; rest and let the Lord take those cares. I may not have named your concern, but you know what it is. Go to your juniper tree and lay down; rest and let the Lord strengthen and provide for you.
We are logical and emotional beings. Resting is so important. With proper rest and wise counsel, we can think logically to make wise and rational decisions. Rest allows for emotional healing.
Without adequate rest you could project your pain onto someone else.
In the time of rest the Lord will tell you what to logically do. You must also allow Him to emotionally heal you so you can operate in His will, or the plan could be sabotaged. Rest until you’re emotionally and mentally healed so you’re able to execute God’s will with the right spirit and right motives, which is how we operate in excellence.
Principle 3: Seek God Always and be Careful to do what God Tells you to Do.
In 1 Kings 19: 8-18 we read once Elijah consumed the bread and water the second time, he left on a journey traveling 40 days and 40 nights to Horeb. The Lord appears to Elijah, at Horeb asking Elijah what he was doing there.
God asking a man or woman a question; I love whenever I read this in scripture because I know God’s not asking a question because He doesn’t know the answer. He knows why Elijah is there.
What we see here is God having dialogue with Elijah. What we see here is relationship. God asks Elijah why he’s there because God’s inviting Elijah to open his heart to Him so Elijah can tell Him about his pain, struggle and frustration. God is our Counselor:
Psalm 16:7 reads, “I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.”
God wants to counsel you about your matter. He sees what you’re going through so sit under the juniper tree, cry it out and tell Him all about it.
Just as God gave Elijah instruction on what to do in verse 15-18, He will tell you what to do. When the Lord tells you what to do, be careful to do exactly what He commands even if the command is to forgive or be silent.
Principle 4: Trust in the Lord
The 4th and final step of applying the principle of the juniper tree to your life is to trust in the Lord.
Exactly that. You must trust in God’s plan for your life. Trust that He’s in control. Trust that His thoughts are well of you and He has your best interest in mind.
Without trust it’s hard to have a relationship with anyone, even God.
Where there is no trust, we try to figure it out ourselves or we give up believing. And without faith it’s impossible to please God. So, hold on to your faith. Remember, trust the Lord enough to be still and wait on Him and believe by faith that He will show up for you.
Proverbs 3:5-8 reads, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.”
God cares about your mental health, your mind, your physical health, your safety, your money, your ability to take care of yourself and your kids. Whatever concerns you He cares about.
Let’s wrap it up, if you have concerns today, stop running, sit down and cry out. Give it to the Lord under your juniper tree and watch the Lord give you provision and rest. He will direct your path if you keep the faith and trust Him to do it.
In conclusion, Elijah did exactly what the Lord told him to do at Horeb. I encourage you to go to 2 Kings 2:11 and 2 Kings 9:30-37 and read how Elijah’s story plays out.
And regarding Elijah’s enemy Queen Jezebel. She did not have her way with God’s servant Elijah. God will protect you from all your enemies, trust Him.
Until next time,
Crystal