When Jezebel hears that Elijah has defeated her prophets of Baal, she threatens his life so Elijah flees.

“He sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers!

“Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him and said “Arise and eat.”

“Then he looked and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again.”

I love this image of God sending his angels to nurture Elijah at his lowest point – particularly the imagery of providing him with food and water. As a mother whose idea of luxury is a cup of tea someone else makes, I love this so much. Elijah has run scared, and he feels God could never love him. God, instead sends him an angel with hood and drink. *

The first lines of Psalm 40 are good too:

“I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock.”

Psalm 41 instructs us to consider the poor.

Dear God, Thank you for this beautiful story of how you nurture your servants. I have felt your love myself and I thank you Father that you are always there at my lowest points. Thank you that I do not have too many. Thank you for the reading I have had this week about loss. Please help me to think on it and pray on it, and understand what you are saying to me. Please help me to follow your instructions and consider the needs of the poor around me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

* I love this story so much I am putting the other part of this chapter – which also needs telling – in tomorrow’s blog