Lessons from the Prophet Elijah

By Engr. Carlos V. Cornejo

“But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: ‘It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.’ Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, ‘Get up and eat.’ He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again.  The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.”  He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.  At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there.  (1 Kings 19:4-9)

The mighty Elijah who just beat 450 prophets of their god Baal in a showdown at Mount Carmel, calling on fire to consume the drenched altar, is now on the run because he is chased by the men of Queen Jezebel.  Couldn’t Elijah have requested to send fire too to consume Jezebel?  Another reason Elijah became dispirited was that Israelites did not mend their ways in spite of the big miracle that happened.  Elijah is now asking God that he might as well die: “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.”

Three lessons we can learn from this predicament of Elijah: (1) It’s ok not to be ok, even when you are close to God. (2) Take care of your health amidst difficulties and trials, and (3) patience and perseverance when experiencing suffering.

It’s Ok not to be Ok

A powerful prophet like Elijah can get depressed too when trials come and things don’t turn out as expected.  Even our Lord Jesus Christ Himself experience immense hardship upon accepting God the Father’s will.  “Then he said to them, ‘I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.’ And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.’” (Matthew 26:38) To be human means to be vulnerable to suffering.  God wants us to experience that pain in whatever trial we undergo, and not to run away from it, but to feel it, but at the same time to sanctify it, or make it an offering acceptable to God much like what our Lord Jesus did to save us.  Our cooperation to God’s grace in saving our souls is through the acceptance of our own sufferings, and offer them up to God.

Take Care of Your Health

Trials can make us experience burnout.  Our energies can get drained while pondering on our problems.  We have to be like Elijah resorting to rest and eating well with the food prepared by his angel.  “He ate and drank, and laid down again.”  His angel made him rest further after eating and then prodded him to eat some more.  “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.”  We should be obedient with the health advise of our doctor or relatives when we are sick due to stress.  Set aside time to think of your problems such us when you are praying or having that regular chatting time with God, but don’t let those worries interfere with your sleep by not thinking of them as you go to bed.

Perseverance

After eating food, Scripture says, “He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.” Forty days and forty nights symbolize the extended duration of suffering.  Our trials might last weeks, months and even years but we should not take off our eyes in focusing on God much like what Elijah did while traveling, always looking forward to worshiping God at Horeb.  The food and drink Elijah took represent the Sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist, our spiritual food that gives us strength.  God’s grace in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist will strengthen us in our trials that once we are able to weather the storm, we will come out stronger, holier and closer to God.