Refreshed by God
Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 19:5-18
An angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”
1 Kings 19:5
Elijah is physically, spiritually, and emotionally exhausted. He is also running for his life and wants God to end it (see 1 Kings 19:1-4). In this moment of great need, God provides refreshment beyond comparison. God first meets Elijah’s physical needs: food, water, and sleep. Then God fortifies Elijah for a forty-day journey and an encounter that meets his spiritual needs.
God is not finished with Elijah. A journey directed by God to the mountain of God brings Elijah to an encounter with God. Elijah is able to cry out to God from the brokenness of his condition. Elijah is distraught and even a bit disoriented as he complains that he is the only prophet left.
God takes it all in and then shows up—not in the wind or earthquake or fire, but in a gentle whisper. Elijah needs to listen closely as God gives him a new assignment that includes the anointing of new kings and a successor to himself as prophet.
Then, finally, God confirms to Elijah that he is not alone. The Lord has reserved 7,000 faithful believers among the people of Israel.
On our journey of faith we too need refreshment. We need God to provide for us physically, spiritually, and emotionally. The wonder of the walk of grace is that God does just that—again and again.
Provider God, when we are not able to take another step, may we be assured that you are already providing for us. Refresh us, we pray, in your Son’s name. Amen.
About the author — Julius T. Medenblik
Rev. Jul Medenblik is a former attorney who was called to pastoral ministry and became the founding pastor of a church in New Lenox, Illinois. He is currently serving as president of Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Jul and his wife, Jackie, are blessed with a son, Joshua, and a daughter, Julianne.
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