“Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He cam to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, LORD,’ he said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’ Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once and angel touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat.’ He looked around and there by his head was some break baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then he lay down again” (1 Kings 17:3-6).
Reflecting about this passage, Joy Clarkson writes:
One time in the Bible Elijah was like, “God, I am so mad! I want to die!” So God said, “Here’s some food. Why don’t you take a nap?”
So Elijah slept, ate, and decided things weren’t so bad.
Never underestimate the spiritual power of a nap and a snack.
I love that. Joy Clarkson is my kind of gal. I love a good snack and a good nap!
You see, we don’t make very good decisions when we are stressed, tired, and hungry. In fact, that’s a recipe for ensuring making terrible decisions. We can’t think straight when we are stressed, tired, or hungry. You combine all three? Gee! That’s disastrous decisions guaranteed.
Two take aways:
- Get regular rest. Eat on a regular schedule. Take naps! Jesus napped. We should too!
- When stressed, tired, hungry – NEVER EVER make life altering decisions. Instead, grab a snack and sleep on it.
Praxis: Faith in Action 