Two Warm Meals

a short sit
A solitary tree silhouetted in a desert at sunrise, sunlight breaking through its branches over bare sand.

But he [Elijah] 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.” And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 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. 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.” 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.

1 Kings 19:4-8

In 1 Kings, Elijah experienced great exhaustion, deep discouragement, and even faced a real threat to his life from Jezebel. He likely felt that his hard work and zeal for the LORD had failed to change Israel, and he was physically, mentally, and emotionally spent. Even after he had just been on a spiritual high of defeating the prophets of Baal, Elijah was at the end of his rope.

I can relate to Elijah in this passage. In January of this year, I prayed almost daily for a few weeks that God would take my life. I would never take my own life, so I prayed fervently that God would take it from me. I was at an absolute low, the lowest point I’ve ever been. I wrote extensively about what led me to this place back in March of this year. You can go back and read it in A Bruised Reed He Will Not Break. I remember lying in my bed at night in my crappy Gainesville apartment, wondering how I got there.

I was 37, divorced, exhausted, and burnt out from church planting. I had a brain tumor just a little over a year prior. I was trying to find my footing in a new church community, but I was so cynical and wanted to do just about anything but be involved with churches or to sniff anything near any type of serving or ministry. There were also other things causing me angst that someone was doing, but I won’t go into details out of respect for them.

Elijah was spent, and to the point where he didn’t have a good heart. He wanted to die. But what does the Bible say about our life?

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Psalm 139:13-14a

Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.

Isaiah 43:4

Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you…

Job 14:5

The Bible is very clear that our lives are precious to God, so much so that He sent His only Son to save us and to give us new life.

What Was God’s Response to Elijah’s Sinful Heart?

Looking back at the passage in 1 Kings, what was God’s response to Elijah’s sinful heart? Did He scold him? Did He reprimand or punish him? Did He correct or rebuke him? What did God do?

He allowed him to rest and served him two warm meals.

Think about that. God sent Elijah an angel who gave him two warm meals, and He allowed him to lie down and rest. How beautiful is that? How loving, kind, and gracious is our God? He saw Elijah’s affliction and treated him with compassion, despite his sinful heart. This is how I’ve always experienced God. The Bible has this to say about Him:

  • Kindness (Titus 3)
  • Compassion (Psalm 103)
  • Gentleness (Isaiah 40)
  • Tenderness (Isaiah 42)
  • Mercy (Lamentations 3)
  • Patience (2 Peter 3)
  • Rest (Matthew 11)
  • Nearness (Psalm 34)
  • Restoration (Psalm 23)
  • Sympathy (Hebrews 4)
  • Grace (2 Corinthians 12)
  • Care (1 Peter 5)

The Bible also says that God is slow to anger and that He abounds in steadfast love (Psalm 86:15). And Psalm 103:10 says, “He does not deal with us according to our sins nor repay us according to our iniquities.” Since May of this year, it’s felt like God has just been allowing me to rest and has been serving me warm meals. He refreshed my soul and restored my joy over the summer. He led me down a road that changed the process of how I run my business so that it’s much less stressful and much more manageable. He introduced me to new friends who live in Guatemala. I’ve found my footing in a good church home. My children are both healthy and growing into young adults. And He brought me together with the now love of my life, Ana Lucia, who also fears Him and is the best gift I’ve ever received from Him.

He’s faithful, and He does far more than we could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Circumstances can change rapidly, overnight even. He sees all of our afflictions, and He works all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). He’s sovereign over our lives and nothing is at random when we belong to Him. Think about Saul just before he was anointed King of Israel. He went looking for three missing donkeys. He thought he was just looking for lost donkeys, but God was orchestrating events so that he would end up meeting with the prophet Samuel. The day before Saul arrived in the city where Samuel was staying, Samuel got word from the LORD that “tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin” (1 Samuel 9:16). Saul was looking for donkeys, but God had other plans. You can trust Him, even when life doesn’t feel super “spiritual” or if it feels like God is silent.

Whether you’re currently in a storm of your own, in a season of confusion, or if it feels like God is silent, keep trusting Him and seeking Him. He is worthy!