Rubbing away what the sand man deposited, I reached for the extra pillows creating a comfy nest to read in, unusual for me.
Reaching for my morning book, I turn to the story of Elijah. He's been roaming around my mind for the past month.
Elijah, the prophet and mighty warrior, a contemporary of bad King Ahab, was God's instrument to strike down the prophets of Baal.
Something changed; the fearless turns fearful.
Elijah, now afraid, running for his life, begging to die. "It is ENOUGH;" (I Kings 19:4) I almost see the shaking fist, the defiant look, the trembling, the tears; and hear his angry voice. Elijah is a mess!
I've had enough! I bet you've said that at some point? I know I have.
I don't care; I give up; I'm just going to grin and bear it.
As I remember my words were more like these, but they could have been It is ENOUGH! I don't recall verbalizing them, but I heard them in my head and in my heart. It was a hard time; I was on the hunt for a broom tree.
Broom trees in wildernesses I guess are good places to lick your wounds.
The story continues ... turns in a new direction, to an encouraging path. I was hooked. The proverbial light bulb was shining and becoming brighter.
Even in the midst of his wilderness, Elijah knew God was there. And He was. As Elijah slept (my guess is rather fitfully), God through an angel initiated toward him. It reminded me of Joseph in Matthew 1; he too was traveling a great hard and God initiated toward him while he slept.
My thoughts bounced back to my story. As I wallowed in my hard, not expecting God to show up, God initiated to me. My friend Kathy and Milt, a counselor by occupation, were the angels God used.
Elijah's angel provided food to nourish him twice knowing his next steps would be physically taxing. Interesting, I Kings records, "And he ... went in the strength of the food ..." (verse 8). The food was enough for his journey to Horeb.
Kathy opened a window of hope for me. Milt provided enough for me too to start the trek on a new encouraging path.
"The last and greatest lesson that the soul has to learn is the fact that God and God alone, is enough for all its needs. This is the lesson that all His dealings with us are meant to teach; and this is the crowning discovery of our whole Christian life, God is enough!" Hannah Whitall Smith, The God of All Comfort, p. 241.
And, that's not all! The story continues. It gets even better ... next week Earthquakes, Fires, and Whispers.
What are your "it is enough" words? Where are your broom trees? What would help you use broom trees as a trigger to look for the God who initiates? How have you experienced God providing enough for you?
"And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God." I Kings 19:8
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