I was reading about Elijah recently, about his victory at Mt. Carmel against the priests of Baal. I’ve always loved that story. I read past it this time though, reading about Elijah’s flight into the wilderness right after this great victory.
1Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and (A)how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.
2Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “(B)So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your [a]life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”
3And he was afraid and arose and ran for his [b]life and came to (C)Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
4But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and (D)he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take my [c]life, for I am not better than my fathers.”
5He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, there was (E)an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat.”
6Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again.
7The angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.”
8So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food (F)forty days and forty nights to (G)Horeb, the mountain of God.
I love this whole chapter but these 1st 8 verses really stood out to me, particularly because the past 9-10 months for me have been very difficult spiritually. Elijah, somehow, after his greatest victory, after seeing the truth and power of God, is threatened by Jezebel and flees (vs 3). It says he went into the wilderness and says “It is enough; now, Oh Lord, take away my life.” How many times in the last months of my life have I just said, “God, that’s enough. It’s enough struggle, it’s enough doubt, it’s enough. I’m finished.” It’s good to know I’m not the only one who has felt that way.
So here Elijah is in the middle of desert, given up, asking God to let him die. As he lays down to sleep and angel comes to him and wakes him up, saying “arise and eat.” So Elijah’s surprise there is food and drink next to him. So he eat’s, drinks, and goes back to sleep. Again the angel comes to him and says “Arise, eat, for the journey is too great for you. Then Elijah, ate, drank and had the strength to travel 40 days through the wilderness.
Many times we find ourselves lost in a spiritual wilderness. We have no strength, we want to give up. “It’s enough!” we say to God. And as we lay down, ready to give up God is speaking to us saying “Arise, eat of my Word, drink of my Presence.” We may get up, read our Bible, pray, then look around and see that we are still in our current circumstance. Disgruntled, we go back to sleep. God comes again, nudges us and says “Arise! Eat of my Word, drink of my Presence. The journey is too much.”
Our Christian journey’s are too much for us. Our will is too weak. Our flesh too strong for us. Everywhere we look the enemy seems to be victorious. Our minds race with doubts, our silent wonderings become impossible to tune out. God recognizes this and wants us to know that he doesn’t expect us to go in our own strength. The only way to make it through this wilderness is to eat and drink of Him. To go in His strength. To walk with Him as our source.
