Here he was, fresh from an astonishing victory – one of the greatest of any prophet in Israel’s history – and now he has collapsed in a screaming (or whimpering) heap under a broom tree. This is Elijah. In one historic afternoon at the top of Mount Carmel, the great man of God had called down fire from heaven on the altar he had built there, and on which he had placed a slaughtered ox, and wiped the floor with 400 demon-worshipping prophets of Baal. It was every bit an emphatic victory as was Gideon’s triumph over the Middianites three centuries before. In one afternoon of powerful prophetic demonstration he single-handedly turned God’s people back from demon worship – and the brink of disaster.
Then an enraged Queen Jezebel threatens his life - and the prophet collapses. He flees into the wilderness before collapsing exhausted – wanting to die. In the space of 48 hours, even less, Elijah has gone from national hero to suicidal fugitive.
1 Kings 19:1-4 (ESV)
“King Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 3 Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, ‘It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.’”
The great man had had enough. Of course, we cannot know what demonic terror and oppression was visited upon Elijah, but it was enormous - and it overwhelmed him. The record gives us little detail. Elijah collapses beneath the broom tree, spent. “I cannot do this anymore, I just can’t”; and falls asleep. What does God do here? Surely He loves His faithful servant? The next piece in the narrative is very insightful for any follower and learner of Jesus. See if you can see the truth-principle in the narrative.
1 Kings 19:5-8 (ESV)
And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” 8 And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.
Did you see it? The angel of the Lord comes to Elijah not with a three-quarter time motivational hype-up speech, not with a rebuke reminding him of the stunning and powerful outpouring of God’s power support two afternoons previously, and not with any explanation of the demonic attack. No lecture about his lack of faith. None of that. God lets Elijah sleep. Then He sends an Uber-Eats angel with fresh water and bread hot from the oven - twice. What does this teach us? Well, for one thing, we learn that only after the body is rested from total overwhelm and fed and reenergised does God’s word come freshly to us again.
In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus admits to His disciples that He is overwhelmed “unto death” as the cross loomed large. What was God’s response to the Lord?
Luke 22:41-43 (ESV)
And He [Jesus] withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to Him an angel from heaven, strengthening Him.
God sent an angel to comfort and strengthen Jesus. God, our Creator, is very, very aware of our frail humanity – He knows every hair on our head, He knows us through and through. He knows that we are creatures of flesh. We are limited. Fragile. He knows that we get tired and we can become overwhelmed, and when we have had enough, and just want to quit. And in these places God does not lecture us about our lack of faith, He doesn’t rebuke us and order us to pray harder, better, longer, and get our act together. No. He will send an angel if He has to, or, maybe, someone listening to Him, with a cup of cold water. When we are depressed and struggling with overwhelm, sometimes our best course of action is not more prayer, which can quickly turn into striving, if we’re not wary. Sometimes the most sacred thing we can do is rest, and eat, and be refreshed so that the word of God can come to us in our revived, refreshed state – our most receptive state.
I have heard some leaders and pastoral counsellors urging the overwhelmed person to go and pray more when what they probably needed was rest and refreshment – body and soul. I have heard the rebuke about, “Where’s your faith?”, too. Not helpful. In fact, very damaging.
Elijah wasn’t ready for his next assignment in his state of collapse under the broom tree. He wanted to quit, remember? Most likely, in such a state of overwhelm, he would probably have refused the word of God despite years of faithful ministry. God knew this. Instead, God gently tends to his physical and then his emotional needs as he stood at the mouth of the cave.
1 Kings 19:12-13 (NLT)
And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
The sound of a gentle whisper – the still, small voice of God – now comes to Elijah. With the pressure of overwhelm on body and soul lightened, the prophet can now hear the voice of God in the “thin silence”, and have a sensible conversation with the Father. In moments of overwhelm, God is there tending our soul and body. We may not know it, but He is. The weight and pressure may not lift immediately or entirely, but we can know with deep assurance that we are not carrying it all alone. It is a shared burden. God’s yoke is given to us so that we know He walks beside us, sharing the load and helping to carry what we cannot carry alone. And this is to bring us to a new place and a new season in His purposes.
In the end Elijah did not quit. He takes on new responsibilities. Under his ministry many prophets in Israel are protected from evil Queen Jezebel and trained. From amongst them emerges Elisha who carried twice the anointing Elijah had known.
God is tending to us in the overwhelm of our soul and body. We have to learn to recognise those moments … and let Him, or the journey will be too much for us.
Matthew 11:28-29 (NLT)
Then Jesus said, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you.
Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Friends, I know what I am talking about here.
Ps Milton.
[Sources: this BLOG was inspired (in part) from the writings of Dr. Graham Hill, a fellow blogger and esteemed colleague.]