May 20

while he himself traveled on a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” — 1 Kgs 19:4 BSB

Elijah was in a state of despair when he prayed this unworthy prayer. He wasn’t afraid—he was discouraged. It seemed to him that all the struggle on Mount Carmel had been for nothing.

It’s a sad scene—this great prophet lying under a little bush in the wilderness, begging to die. This is one of the unanswered prayers of the Bible, and it’s a good thing God didn’t answer it. If Elijah had died then, what a sad and unglorious end his life would have had! Instead, he went on to do more great work and ultimately avoided death altogether.

It’s never right to wish for death. Life is God’s gift to us, a sacred trust for which we will have to give account. As long as God keeps us alive, He has something for us to do. Our prayers should be for strength to carry our burdens and to do our duty courageously until the end.