In 1 Kings chapter 19, we find an interesting story of Elijah the prophet. We enter this story after he has called down rain from heaven breaking several years of draught throughout the nation. At this time he has also slaughtered hundreds of the prophets of Baal in single day. Elijah had gotten a front row seat to the miraculous, when God showed up for him by setting ablaze a bull in front of Ahab and the prophets of Baal to prove that God is the one true God….all of this had just happened in the chapter before we pick up this story. But here, we now we find Elijah hiding for his life in the wilderness.

The evil king Ahab had told his wife Jezebel all that Elijah had done. Infuriated by what she had heard, she puts the word out that she is out to kill him. Elijah gets the message of this threat at runs to the wilderness where he asks God to take his life. 

So how does someone who has just experienced first-hand the miracle’s of God, get to a place where he’s asking God to take his life? The answers are in the following verses:

⁵ Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.

All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” ⁶ He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

⁷ The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” ⁸ So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. ⁹ There he went into a cave and spent the night.

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁰ He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

Three things we can draw from these verses.. First, Elijah was exhausted. He had just fought some battles, prayed fervently for rain, and then traversed into the wilderness. He needed to rest. 

Secondly, he needed to nourish his physical body. We see that the angel of the Lord brought him baked bread and water, and that he was strengthened by that food. Are you taking care of your physical body by resting and nourishing it with nutritious foods? If not, determine in your heart and mind to take one step today.

Lastly, we see that Elijah has allowed discouragement to cause him to believe a lie. Whenever we are exhausted, and not taking care of our body’s well, we open ourselves up to having a negative mindset. We aren’t able to think clearly when we are trying to push through on empty. Elijah’s complaint at the end of  these versus shows that he was so discouraged he felt like he was the only one left standing for the Lord, but that was not true.

When we aren’t taking care of ourselves well, not listening to “good reports” by not taking time in God’s word we allow the weariness of our journey to bring discouragement and even hinder us from seeing things as they truly are. Like Elijah, we can feel completely disheartened. 

In which one of these areas do you feel a nudge? Jesus invites us in the midst of our weariness to cast our cares on Him. 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

When we give God our worries, He will give us His peace and strength in return.