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Take Care of God's Servant

1 Kings 19.4: “But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.””

Elijah had just won a great victory for God; he was riding high on the wave, yet emotionally, he was spent. When does the adversary need to darken a light?- when it is shining brightly! Elijah is not the only person to ever get depressed to this point. Moses (Numbers 11.14-15), Job (Job 3.20-22), and Jonah (Jonah 4.3) all made similar requests of God to end their earthly sufferings. But how does God respond to Elijah?

Sleep (1 Kings 19.5). Rest is important. The spirit may be willing, but our flesh is a limitation we must deal with. Taking care of our mental health involves resting our bodies even when our minds want to keep pushing.

Touch (1 Kings 19.5). The angel does not impart some gift of healing, all that is said is that “an angel touched him”. Hugging is important. Even if you are not a “hugger”, physical stimuli is important. Perhaps that is why Christians are encouraged to “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” (Romans 16.16a)

Eat (1 Kings 5-7). My WimpyJoe was fond of quoting an IT saying from the ‘80’s: “GIGO”. The acronym means: “garbage-in, garbage-out”. Food is fuel, and just as no one would willingly put water in the tank of their vehicle, we should pay attention to how we fuel our body’s. Modern medical science puts great importance on blood chemistry- that’s why your doctor periodically runs your blood work, to make sure imbalances do not exist.

Lastly, God redirects Elijah’s focus (1 Kings 19.15-16). It is harder to do than to say, but sometimes the answer is to leave your stressors at the throne and walk away, entrusting them to God and focusing your efforts on new directions.

What God does not say is “get over it”. Our Creator knows our every weakness. We have a Savior who can sympathize with our failures. Take your burdens to God, and as difficult as it is- lay them at His feet. Take care of His servant (yourself).

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