Get Up and Eat

3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." 5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat."

“You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.” Psalm 23:5b

Life is like that. One day you’re the windshield, the next you’re the bug. The cartoon character Ziggy said that life is like a series of boings and splats. The object is to have one more boing than splat. Get up, dust yourself off and bounce back.

Where does the strength come from to do that? “My strength comes from the Lord.” “I can do all things through him who strengthened me.” “They who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength.”

And so it was with Elijah. He had just defeated the prophets of Baal in a momentous victory for right. And now he’s being chased under the threat of death. He’s tired. He’s in the desert. He’s reached the end of his rope. His endurance is gone. So he prays for God to end his life and then he lays down and falls asleep.

Two things stand out. He prays and he rests. Now admittedly, Elijah is waiting on the Lord to do something other than renew his strength. He’s waiting for God to take him home. But God’s plans always win out. God has greater things for Elijah to do. If he didn’t, He certainly could have struck down Elijah at any time. Maybe Elijah just wouldn’t have awakened from sleep one day. Or, he could have had a calamitous medical emergency and died.

Instead, God prepares a meal for him and sends an angel to give him the news. “Get up and eat.”

When you’re tired and feel like it’s the end of your rope - you’re discouraged, disgusted, distressed, diseased, disused – pray. And then rest. And then get up to fill yourself with God’s nourishment. Maybe that’s some exercise. Maybe it’s a little food. Maybe it’s reading God’s word and being filled with his presence.

“Get up and eat.”