The Prophet's Bread

Elijah, exhausted, sat under a broom tree and asked to die. The angel did not lecture him. The angel did not call a meeting. The angel cooked breakfast.

'Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.' The provision came before the further obedience. The food came before the climb to Horeb. The Lord did not skip the body to get to the soul. He fed Elijah twice, with bread and water, before sending him on.

Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is eat. Sleep. Rest. The journey is too great for you on an empty tank, and the Lord knows it. Receive the provision before you ask for the assignment. The bread is not optional, and it is not a distraction from the work. It is the first part of the work, given by the One who walked Galilee in a body and asked the disciples for a piece of fish on the resurrection morning.

The pattern is older than we are. The grace is older than the pattern. We come to it not as students at the head of the class but as children at the foot of a long table, where the meal has been ready for a while and the chair has always been waiting for us. Sit. Receive what has already been given. The day will be longer than you think, and the bread will be enough.