For a moment, it seemed that Elijah had won a great spiritual victory at Mt. Carmel. But now he had to flee for his life from Jezebel (1-2). Elijah was tempted to despair, asking the Lord to take his life. He blames himself for his apparent lack of success, saying he is no better than his ancestors (3-4). But that was not for Elijah to judge. Elijah had been faithful to the calling God gave him, and that was enough. Now Elijah received personal care from the Lord—a meal and some rest (5-7), and a lesson that the Lord’s power is not always shown in big, noisy events (11-13). The Lord assured Elijah that his remnant existed in Israel (18). Then it was time for Elijah to look toward the future, preparing someone else to carry on the work after him (19-21).

When we feel despair because our work in the Lord seems fruitless, we may just need some physical replenishment. We should also remember that in this world, we never see all the results of our labor in the Lord. When we know that we are very zealous for the Lord, we can be sure he will use our lives in the best way, and we don’t need to compare ourselves to others.
Application: Father, thank you for your personal care for your servants. Help me do the work you have for me and look to the future as well.
One Word: Rest and prepare the next steps