Running the trails of middle earth, the heart is racing and the feet are pounding the paths that have been treaded down for decades, if not centuries. The breath is fluid as the pace is rushed. The evil behind you is real and seeks to destroy you. The abandonment and loneliness of your situation has laid on you like a heavy blanket.
The separation has been significant. Time for a quick rest and recharge. Maybe a prayer…“I have had enough Lord,” said Elijah. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors (I Kings 19: 4).”
The heart was real. Some massive swings had taken place on the physical plane. Now, the man of God who was revered was fleeing from a storm of evil that swore to run him through with great violence. He pleaded that it would come to a close. He saw he was at his ropes end.
Then came the touch and some replenishment, warm baked bread and water with a tap on the shoulder. Yes, he was tapped by an angelic being and told to eat and drink up for the journey was beyond his own ability (I Kings 19: 5-8). He spent 40 days and nights traveling to God’s mountain in Horeb. And there He met the One he served.
Elijah found out that he was not alone. He found God in the whispers after the raging storm. Instructed, he returned the way in which he had come and anointed two future kings and a successor. The successor was not of his own blood but a man who would follow the Lord to his end (I Kings 19: 14-18).
Throughout this passage we find the fears and hopes of a man. A man who lived and was swirled up into heaven like Dorothy going to Oz (2 Kings 2: 11). He served the God of Abraham like few others. His struggles as a man were there, but he chose and hoped in the God of His Fathers. And if I may, the first food he received on the hot coals carried him to God, the second helping carried him and God’s message. His double portion lasted him 80 days and nights (I Kings 19: 8, 15).
I pray that even though things grow dim at times and the storms of chaos roam the world seeking to devour those who would let them, that you find hope in the midst of the storm. Just like Elijah, God will establish, strengthen, and settle you (I Peter 5: 8-10). Be consistent and prayer and lean not on your own understanding but trust your ways to Him (Proverbs 3: 5-6). Jesus is the answer!
Godspeed, The Journeyman
Ps. Today’s story comes from the reality of life. Keep your chin up and don’t fret. Lift your eyes to heaven and breathe. Check out Elijah in I Kings 19, he is quite the prophet!
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