When the Journey Is Too Much

“I have had enough, Lord,” ... “Get up and eat.” ... “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” ... “Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights ...”
1 Kings 19:4–8 (NIV)

You can lie awake with pain that won't ease, so exhausted that even when you try to pray, it feels like your words go nowhere. Or you can enjoy a wonderful day, only to realize that you'd meant to spend time with God but never did. Both can leave us feeling distant from God, whether we've known Him for years or are beginning to seek Him. Sometimes we want to turn toward Him but feel unable to. Other times, we struggle even to want to. Where do we go from there?

Elijah, one of God's prophets in ancient Israel, had faced a confrontation and was running for his life. Exhausted and afraid, he sat beneath a bush and prayed, “I have had enough, Lord” (1 Kings 19:4). Then he fell asleep. And what did God do? He sent an angel who woke Elijah and said, “Get up and eat” (1 Kings 19:5). Bread and water were beside him. Elijah ate, drank, and went back to sleep. God hadn't removed his troubles or explained what lay ahead. He gave Elijah what he needed right then.

The angel returned and told Elijah to eat again, “for the journey is too much for you” (1 Kings 19:7). Elijah ate, and “strengthened by that food” (1 Kings 19:8), traveled forty days and nights to Horeb, the mountain of God. Maybe someone brought you a meal when you were too exhausted to cook. Trouble remained, but their kindness helped you face what came next. Scripture doesn't tell us Elijah felt God's presence along the way. God had provided for his journey, and He would meet him again at Horeb.

Job, an Old Testament man who lost his children, possessions, and health, knew another side of suffering. “But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him” (Job 23:8). Yet Job said, “But he knows the way that I take” (Job 23:10). Maybe you've prayed for months, and nothing has changed. You still get up, take care of what needs doing, and wonder whether God hears you. He couldn't find God, but he believed God still knew where he was.

At Horeb, God asked Elijah, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:13). Elijah was still afraid, but God hadn't stopped speaking to him. Maybe you've sat with someone who asks how you're doing, and instead of saying you're fine, you tell them the truth. Or perhaps you've been so caught up in a full day that you forgot to call. Either way, when you finally talk, they're still glad to hear from you. The conversation doesn't have to wait until everything is better. Could it be the same with God? We can turn toward Him today, even if we don't know how we'll face tomorrow.

Prayer

Father, when pain fills my thoughts or a wonderful day distracts me, draw me back to You. Help me come honestly, receive Your care today, and trust You with whatever tomorrow may bring. Amen.