[:en]”Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary 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 ancestors who have already died.’“Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, ‘Get up and eat!’ He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.
“But the LORD said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ Elijah replied, ‘I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.’”
1 Kings 19 Selected Verses (NLT)
I am reminded that the Bible contains stories of people just like you and me. Do we forget the faithfulness and the magnificence of God as quickly as Elijah? Only hours before, he had taken center stage at one of the greatest demonstrations of God’s power in all the Bible as he called down fire from heaven to burn up water-soaked sacrifices exposing the false prophets of Baal. True, his faithfulness to God had raised the ire of people in political high places causing them to spew death threats. But, seriously, we should not ignore the fact that he had just been the catalyst for an awesome demonstration of the power God as well as His superiority over evil.
THEN, Elijah was provided food and water by an angel.
THEN, he was sought out by the Lord personally for a pep talk.
And his response to all this was . . . wait for it . . . more whining!
God knows us well. He sees us when we are the guest of honor at the ultimate pity party where guests are optional. In those moments, as with Elijah, God knows how to get our attention. His still small voice that once changed our heart and life and informed us we are His can cut through our fears, anxieties and attitudes to bring us to that moment of perfect clarity. And in that moment, we realize we are never alone.[:]