Exhaustion & Refreshing

I heard a very good message last night on the life and ministry of Elijah. For those who don't know, Elijah was a prophet of God; which is kind of like saying that the Beatles were a musical group. Elijah was BIG! A headline act. And God really liked Elijah. Elijah was one of His special favourites.

One of Elijah's most famous acts was when he challenged the prophets of Baal to a duel. He said, "Let's see whose God is real and whose god is not!" They accepted the challenge and it went something like this. Each built an altar (think elaborate camp fire, stacking the wood just so) and then stood back and prayed, asking their god to light the fire. Only when it was Elijah's turn, he dumped buckets and buckets and buckets of water on the altar. (Think swimming pool).

God (the One and Only real God) sent fire down from heaven and burned up not only Elijah's altar, but the one to Baal too. And then all the false prophets were killed.

What a high! Elijah was no stranger to the power and might of God, but this

was pretty incredible. Elijah was experiencing in a very personal way what

the Scriptures mean when they say "Nothing is impossible with God". So, he takes off running, and out-runs a chariot. I don't know how fast chariots go, but I do know how fast horses are, and there is no way anyone could be faster than a horse. Yet Elijah ran a long way and arrived before the horses pulling the chariot. Wow! Elijah must have been higher than a kite! "God, You are amazing!" "God, You are incredible!"

And then Jezebel comes along and pops his balloon. "I'm going to kill you, Elijah," she says, and this is no idle threat. She has the resources to follow through. Suddenly, Elijah is in mortal danger and there is nothing left. He's burned up all his spiritual energy. The gas tank is sucking fumes. What horrible timing! If he had been given just one day to rest, I'm sure he would have laughed at Jezebel. But she got to him when he was at the utter end of his strength. So Elijah did the only thing he could: he ran for his life.

Poor Elijah was exhausted and spent. He says, "Kill me now, God - I've had enough." But God does not kill him; He restores him. God sends food and drink to Elijah, enough to sustain him through a forty day journey to the mountain of the Lord. And in this mountain, God comes to Elijah and speaks to him. God gives Elijah new hope and a new commission. God says, "I am not done with you yet, Elijah. Greater things are still to be done."

Are you exhausted? Worn out? Burnt out?

God will send supernatural food and drink to you, to sustain you and refresh you.

Rest in Him. Stop running and simply receive.