1 Kings 19:1-8

19 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”

3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.

Can you relate to Elijah? Are you ever worn out, at the end of your rope? Does life ever beat you up? You give your best, you begin to make a difference, a next thing you know you are being attacked. You begin to move forward in life, and then the skeletons in your closet trip you up. You overcome an obstacle only to face an even higher mountain. Sometimes the only prayer you can utter is lament: “Seriously, God? How much more can a person take?”

All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.

In this story, God meets the tired prophet under the broom tree. An angel cooks him a hot lunch and hands him a bottle of water. Angel Take-out. Elijah eats, takes a nap, eats again, and is strengthened for the journey ahead. 

Worship does that sometimes, doesn’t it? We go to church tired and hungry. We come away nourished, fed, refreshed. Sometimes it is the music, or the sermon, or the ritual of the liturgy, or the hug of a friend, or the chocolate chip cookie and cup of coffee. 

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