Week 2: Tired
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)
“Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 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.” (1 Kings 19:3-4)
Rest is essential to your peace. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah is spiritually exhausted. For years, he had been the only one in Israel who was still serving God. He had just called down fire from Heaven and led the whole nation back to God. Now his enemies are after him. Exhaustion like that has a way of making your opposition seem bigger than it is.
Sometimes we force ourselves into positions we think we deserve because straining for a healthier way means going against what we know.
Elijah says,”I’m no better than my ancestors.”
Did you hear that? That sounds exactly like some of the things we tell ourselves.
“It’s just the way I was raised…”
“Did you see what they did?!”
“It will always be this way.”
At the root of spiritual exhaustion lies the fear of trying again and truly seeing yourself. And TRUST ME, I get it!! The way forward, practically, may look like forgetting past hurts. Nailed to a cross, Jesus says, “Father forgive them for they DON’T KNOW what they are doing.” Forget the excuses holding you back and focus on something new. That will help you begin to rest.
Wonder Bread
You can only go so far under your own strength. Elijah is running from his fears and 1 Kings 19:4 says that he could only get as far as a day’s journey under his own strength. He ran into the middle of nowhere with no sense of direction and the burden of anxiety pouncing on his mind.
When Elijah collapses, he calls out to God for his death, and immediately an Angel appears with a meal. The meal is bread and water. The Angel appears twice with this same meal.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus calls himself the “Bread of Life” that comes down from Heaven. He also calls himself “Living Water”.
HOW we rest is important. Real rest involves being in a state of wonder.
You aren’t trying to make anything happen. You aren’t consumed with what you can’t control. Instead you take inventory of God’s many blessings. This allows you to gain a confidence that is not our own. The angel didn’t come for a one time only rest; it came more than once!
Verse 8 says that this strength allowed Elijah to travel 40 days nonstop into the very presence of God! From resting, Elijah gained not only strength but direction. There must have been something in the water! That must have been Wonder Bread he was eating!
