1 Kings 19:4-8 (NRSV)
Read 1 Kings 19:4-8 on biblegateway.com
Verse 4But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: "It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors." Verse 5Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, "Get up and eat." Verse 6He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. Verse 7The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, "Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you." Verse 8He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.
Devotion
Elijah is a fugitive in the wilderness. He is weak, weary, hungry, afraid, and hopeless. Unable to go on, he sits under a solitary broom tree and says, “I give up.”
I’ve been there and I suspect you have, too. God, at times, seems distant. Prayers go unanswered. We are betrayed by those we trusted. Regrets of the past and worries for the future consume us. We are disappointed, discouraged, and exhausted. We suffer for the sake of the gospel.
Suddenly an angel rouses sleeping Elijah and says, “Get up and eat.” A cake of freshly baked bread and a jar of water is waiting for him. (Did you know that angels can cook?) Elijah goes back to sleep. Again the angel said, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.” God gave him bread and water. It was a tangible gift of grace and mercy. May we do the same.
Prayer
God of grace and mercy, give comfort and strength to all who are wearied by the struggles and sorrows of life. Food, water, and companionship in Christ are enough to sustain us in our journey. Amen.
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