Breakfast is my favorite! Especially when it’s accompanied by good sleep, a strong cup of coffee, and made by someone else. I am the cook in our family. So usually, if breakfast is to be, then it’s up to me. But it’s pretty magical when I’m on vacation or out somewhere enjoying breakfast or brunch, I didn’t have to make. We were on a cruise a couple weeks ago and hands down, those breakfasts in the dining room were my favorite. 

Let’s do this together: Everyone, close your eyes. Imagine you’ve had a long week. You’ve had a full schedule, you’ve fought for things you’re passionate about, the car is in the shop, errands, deadlines, etc. You’re tired. It’s Saturday morning – with no alarm – you woke up on your own. You step downstairs to find a meal, warm and ready just for you.

I want to share a story from the Old Testament that continually encourages my heart. I think it’s because I love this truth: we serve a God that sees us right where we are and cares greatly for us – In this story, God makes Elijah “breakfast”… 

1 Kings 19

Elijah Flees to Sinai

19 When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. 2 So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.”

3 Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. 4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”

5 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” 6 He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So, he ate and drank and lay down again.

7 Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”

8 So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai,[a] the mountain of God. 9 There he came to a cave, where he spent the night.

The Lord Speaks to Elijah

But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10 Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 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?”

14 He replied again, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

15 Then the Lord told him, “Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. 16 Then anoint Jehu grandson of Nimshi[b] to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet. 17 Anyone who escapes from Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and those who escape Jehu will be killed by Elisha! 18 Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!”

I love the nature and character of the God we serve!  In our humanity, though, how remarkably easy it is to forget what God has done for us the moment weariness sets in. Just one chapter before, in 1 Kings 18, Elijah experienced a massive spiritual triumph at Mount Carmel against the prophets of Baal – but here we see him completely exhausted, isolated, and ready to give up. Yet, God didn't lecture him or demand more work. Instead, He provided food, rest, and a gentle whisper - offering a powerful reminder to us today:

1. God meets us in our weariness. 
2. He renews us in His presence.
3. He reminds us that we are not alone. 

Photo Credit: Eiliv Aceron via unsplash.com