The Journey is too Much for You

 

The reading for today come from 1 Kings 19:4-8 – Elijah was on the run. Queen Jezebel was after him, and she had no intention of stopping until Elijah was dead. An exhausted Elijah had found a hiding place in the bushes, and there he prayer for death but ended up taking a nap.

And it was in this place that the angel of the Lord came to him said “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So, he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled for forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night. And there the word of the Lord came to him.

The “wilderness” is a place of giving and testing. It is a place of refining and strengthening. It can also be a time of weakness and, even, depression. It can be a time where God meets you and brings clarity to the chaos that may be surrounding you at this moment.

When the word of the Lord came to Elijah in that cave, the words came as a question, a question that required an answer. What are you doing here, Elijah?

You see, Elijah wasn’t supposed to be hiding in the bushes, in a cave, or anywhere else. He was supposed to be boldly proclaiming that Queen Jezebel and her wicked husband, King Ahab were living on borrowed time. God was about to send judgment upon them and the idolatrous people of the nation of Israel. Elijah, it’s time to put your trust in this God of yours, and time to be bold in what you say and what you do.

“Elijah,” God said, “It’s time to go back the way you came and do the job which I have assigned to you.”

Think carefully of your experiences running from that which you fear, from a task which God may have given to you. How did you finally face your fear, or are you still trying to avoid what lies before you? Elijah heard the still small voice of the Lord in the wilderness. What is that voice saying to you? What will your response be to that voice?

Reply in the same manner that Elijah did. When Elijah stepped out in faith, God brought about an awakening of faith among the people of Israel, an abandonment of the false idols and a return to the worship in the temple. Maybe God is ready to use you for something totally amazing!