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
Seventh grade was tough. New to the school, I was often targeted by bullies and rebuffed by the reigning cliques. I was awkward, somewhat a geek and frustrated with the state of affairs.
After a trying day, I retreated to a large maple tree on the edge of my parents’ lot. Perched amid the branches, I watched clouds, the neighbor’s fields and cars traveling down the county road, praying for insight and strength to tackle the next day. Eventually, the adolescent angst dissipated and I joined my family for the evening meal.
Elijah was on the lam fleeing the wrath of Queen Jezebel. Elijah, as God’s agent, had decisively embarrassed her prophets of Baal, whom the Israelites then put to the sword. Elijah retreated to the Judean wilderness where Israel, years before, had undergone its own testing.
Paralleling that prior wilderness experience, God gave Elijah shelter, sustenance and strength for the uncertain times ahead, affirming Elijah’s call.
Prayer
Dear God, when the demons of life threaten, nudge us to carve out time for thought and prayer, so we might once again be renewed and refreshed for a life of faith. Amen.