Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." He looked around, and there by 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 and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you." So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by the food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
Even after God has shown His tremendous power to us, and we win a big battle by His strength, we may succumb to fear and discouragement even to the point where we feel like we don't want to live anymore. Yet, our God is gracious. And the Lord Jesus himself comes to tend to our needs. He knows what we need, physically and spiritually and He is gentle and gracious in His providence.
God provided Elijah the strength he needed to recover and get to Mt. Horeb and then He dealt with his problem. This also shows how our physical condition may affect us spiritually.
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
1 comment:
have always loved these passages-such tenderness in the way God deals with His own..
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