God Didn't Just Give Elijah a Snack

There's a popular social media post that floats around about when Elijah was completely traumatized, "God gave him a snack."

Ya'll...we have got to go deeper than this.

While it's funny & cute, it also really takes away from what God did for Elijah during a time of suicidal idealization, how God's word saved him, and the instruction the Lord Himself is giving us in this example of one of His struggling prophets.

"Elijah was afraid and ran for his life (because he had killed Jezebel's prophets and she threatened him)....He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die...."Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. 1 Kings 19:3-5

Elijah wants to die. He is is driven by a spirit of fear, and possibly shame - neither are from God. And in this moment of desperation & fear, God send Elijah an angel to minister to him.

"All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." 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." 1 Kings 19:5-7

Our flesh will read about the bread and water brought to Elijah by an angel, as a loaf of sourdough and a bottle of water....or maybe a jug if you're visualizing a more biblically accurate way to hold water.

But your spiritual eyes will read much differently:

The bread: Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4 (NIV) The bread Elijah ate was a new word from God. It was His direction, "Get up and eat." He's telling you when you feel broken and lost to READ HIS WORD. Fill yourself with Him.

The water: John 4:14 (NIV) states: "but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." Jesus is speaking this so while He is referring to Himself here, He is God and therefore, the water for Elijah would be full surrender to the Lord - accepting His forgiveness and obeying Him.

The angel brought the word from heaven because before we were able to communicate with the Holy Spirit, before Christ died, God used prophets and angels to minister to His people.

Our flesh reads this passage as Elijah needing food because we are reading it in our carnal appetite. Our spirit will read it as him needing God's word to rebuke the fear and obedience to the Lord's direction to pull Him out of His feelings.

Elijah is "strengthened by that food," and travels 40 days to a cave atop a mountain where God Himself meets him.

Moral of the story: when you'ree feeling disheartened, lonely, afraid, any of these things, read God's word and SIT WITH HIM. LISTEN to Him.

The deeper meaning, the one that ministers to you, is that our spirits are renewed through reading and obeying God's word.

That's it. Just learn what He wants and do it. This will bring you a peace that surpasses understanding. This will drive out all your negative feelings.

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