Posts Tagged ‘1 Kings 18:41-19:8’

Amid a year of loss and grief, where we now try to return to school and have fires raging round, much is unsettling and frightening. Remember Elijah, that great prophet of God, who was afraid. Tonight’s passage is between two dramatic scenes. Just prior, there’s the showdown between 850 false prophets and Elijah. Their gods didn’t answer the requests for fire. When Elijah prayed, God sent an astounding, consuming fire.

Elijah tells King Ahab to eat and drink because it’s about to rain after the long drought. When Ahab rides off in his chariot, and Elijah miraculously runs ahead of him. Queen Jezebel soon says: You’ll be dead by tomorrow. Elijah runs again to flee, afraid. Elijah is afraid even though God sent dramatic fire, brought back the rain, enabled him to run ahead, and provided in many previous ways recorded in scripture. Even this great prophet of God who has seen provision quite recently and over a lifetime, gets worn out, doubts, and fears. We do too.

An angel comes twice pointing to food provided in the wilderness. Elijah told Ahab to eat before his journey. Now God provides food for Elijah with similar encouragement. God provides in our deepest struggles, where life is killing us. God provides when we doubt, question, and are afraid, no matter how much we have received before. God provides when we can’t see or imagine how life could get any better, when we’re afraid and tired, and when we’ve lost hope. Read More