Who Is Exhausted To Her Core

Suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.”

SHORTLY AFTER JARED AND I MOVED our family to California, all three of our kids tested positive for the flu. They seemed to get super sick all at once, so while Jared was at work one evening, I took the kids to a walk-in clinic on my own. It just couldn’t wait until morning, and we didn’t have a primary care doctor established yet.

Doctor visits with one child can be stressful, but with three young kids all running high fevers (and their emotions running high as well), the hour we spent at the clinic felt like an eternity. But the exhaustion had just begun.

It took the pharmacy an hour to fill the prescriptions after they sent me a notification saying they were ready. There was no one to call for help with the kids. That evening it was just me . . . and the Lord. I was exhausted to my core.

Elijah, a prophet of God, wasn’t a stranger to the stress that comes from having to stand alone to do what God has called you to do. The Lord had sent Elijah to confront His people, who had fallen into idol worship. The ruler of the day, Ahab, was being influenced by a wicked woman, Jezebel, and God’s people were confused and living in complete disobedience to Him. So led by the Lord, Elijah called the people of God together and put the idol gods to a test. He said to the people, “You call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the God who answers by fire, He is God” (1 Kings 18:24, NKJV).

When the one true God came down in fire and consumed Elijah’s sacrifice, the people of God declared, “The LORD, He is God!” Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape” (1 Kings 18:39-40, NKJV). Jezebel, hearing that her prophets had been destroyed, threatened Elijah’s life. And despite having seen God move mightily, Elijah ran.

The exact distance he traveled is unknown, but we can estimate that he ran over one hundred miles, left his servant in a certain town, and went another day’s journey into the wilderness. And when he was done running, he lay down and told the Lord how he really felt. He was exhausted from all he had faced. He was exhausted from all he had done. He was exhausted by all the fear in his heart. He wasn’t just tired; he was weary to his bones. Listen to what happened next...

Suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.” . . . There by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. 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.” So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights.

Do you know what I love about this story? No, it’s not just that Elijah was tired and took a nap while an angel made him a snack. I love that God supernaturally provided both the rest and the food he needed to give him strength for the journey ahead. While it would be wonderful to have anyone cook me a nice meal, tuck me into bed, and say, “Rest up,” I take so much comfort in knowing that God knows exactly what I need for the days that are coming. And as the angel told Elijah, “Eat, because the journey is too great for you,” the Lord tells us, “I am your daily bread. Take and eat because I’m your strength.”

My friend, He knows you’re tired. He knows all you have faced. He knows you need a deep heart reset. Let’s pray and ask Him to step in and touch the places in our hearts that only He can restore.

Tonight we pray for the momma who is exhausted to her core. Lord, she’s not just sleepy. She’s not just tired. She is at the end of herself. She has given every last ounce of her strength. Maybe it was something unexpected that came up and added stress, or maybe it was just a little bit of everything this week. No matter the cause of her weariness, Lord, we are asking You to help her. We are asking You to supernaturally strengthen her mind, body, and spirit. Remove all anxiety, stress, worry, and exhaustion and replace them with peace, joy, and hope for tomorrow.

We ask in Jesus’s name, amen.

Heavenly Father, I ask for Your supernatural strength and endurance as I . . .