We might have expected Elijah’s great victory on Mount Carmel to have solved all the problems in Israel and that Elijah could have retired from ministry. The opposite happened. This event only served to stir things up. So now we find Elijah running for his life, and he is fed up and discouraged. God’s remedy is marvellous. He leads this exhausted man on a forty-day journey to a place called ‘Horeb’. What is so special about this place? Why so much trouble to get here? This place represented something very important. This was Mount Sinai, where Moses had met with God and received the commandments. It was the holy ground where, earlier, Moses had heard God in the burning bush. This was the place where Moses asked God, “Show me your glory” and where God passed before him (Exodus 33-34). And it is here that Elijah would meet with God. What do you need when you feel exhausted and burdened by life? What do you need when you feel the deadness of discouragement? You need to meet God. Simple. You need a fresh encounter with God. In his presence you will be made alive again. As his Spirit fills you anew with his light you will find strength and joy. His presence is like the blissful warmth of sunshine on a cold winter day. You know those moments when you feel you could just sit and soak in the sun for hours? That is what it is like to soak in God’s presence. It brings life, light, warmth and healing to the soul.
Seek God and wait in his presence.
Read 1 Kings 19:1-9
