Have you ever felt tired? Like the kind of tired you feel deep in your bones? The type of tired that makes you not want to do anything except either lie down or waste time or play mobile games… okay, maybe the last one is specific to me. But still.
I’ve been feeling tired lately. And I’m not sure it’s the type of tired that can be solved with a nap or 8 hours of sleep or even a whole day of sleep. Because I don’t think it’s a physical tiredness. Granted, I haven’t been sleeping many hours the past couple of days. But I still don’t think that’s it, because I’m not yawning, and I’m not looking for openings in my day when I can sleep. But I’ve really been feeling tired lately.
You know who else was feeling tired? Elijah. That’s right, the spiritual giant who prayed for it to rain (James 5:17-18). The one who taunted the so-called priests of Baal and did them show because of our showboy God (1 Kings 18:20-40). The one who did many things for God, the one who was used mightily by God. He didn’t just feel tired, he was exhausted. He was ready to give up on life. Let’s read.
17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
James 5:17-18 (NKJV)
27 And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.”
1 Kings 18:27 (NKJV)
4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”
1 Kings 19:4 (NKJV)
Elijah was running away from Jezebel because she sought his life. And along the way, he became tired and sat under a tree. And then told God to take his life. Maybe we haven’t gotten to this stage. I know I haven’t. But I am at the stage right before. That statement– “It is enough.” That’s where I feel I am. It is enough– the things I am doing, all I am trying to do, keeping up with everything, keeping up with everyone, making sure that I am doing all that I am trying to do, making sure that I’m perfect… Lord, it is enough.
Don’t we all get here sometimes? When the weight of the world seems to be breaking your back. When it seems as though you’re needed in a thousand places at once. When you can’t even give anything your best because as soon as you finish one thing, something else is staring you down. I’ve been there many times. In that valley that seems so deep that you’re unable to climb out.
But see what God’s response to Elijah was.
5 Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.”
1 Kings 19:5 (NKJV)
7 And the angel of the LORD came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.”
1 Kings 19:7 (NKJV)
Angels can act the messengers of God. So the angels came on assignment, bearing something from God for Elijah. And what was it? He said to Elijah, “Arise and eat.” Twice, he said this to Elijah. And even in the second encounter, he told Elijah that the journey was too great for him.
Elijah needed strength to continue with the journey. We need strength to continue with the journey. The truth is that as we continue on this course of life, there are many things that will derail us and discourage us. There are many things assigned to prevent us from finishing strong and walking in the purpose God has created for us. There are many opportunities that present themselves as easy places to throw in the towel and give up. But today, God is calling us to arise and eat.
We know that man shall not live by bread alone (Matthew 4:4). And so the eating isn’t just of physical food. Are we feeding on the word of God? Do we receive our daily bread from being in His presence? Are we spending time with Him to renew our strength? God is calling us to arise and eat. To arise and spend time with Him. To arise and come before Him. Because the truth is that your trial is not foreign to God. Even the angel acknowledged that the journey was too great for Elijah. Few things in life can be done on our human strength. We need divine strength and endowment from God to move forward on our journeys.
And see the amazing thing. That encounter strengthened Elijah for 40 days and 40 nights.
8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.
1 Kings 19:8 (NKJV)
I don’t know what you are struggling with. I don’t know what weighs on your heart. For me, I feel as though I am stretched too thin. And I wonder to myself how I will accomplish God’s will for my life. And then I am reminded that it’s not even about me. As I align to His will, He will provide strength for the journey. He will give me all I need. Am I ready to come before Him and trust Him? I am not afraid anymore. Because I know the God I believe. Do you?
10 So he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
1 Kings 19:10 (NKJV)
Elijah was open before God. And opened up intimately. He told God what was going on. And following this moment of intimacy, we see God reveal Himself to Elijah as Elijah learned to discern the voice of God. In those moments of brokenness and intimacy, ask God to help you know and recognize and discern His voice. And trust Him and what He has said.
Signed,
The King’s Daughter (Dzifa)
Powerful🔥 God bless you WoG