Lord, Throughout These Forty Days...34

Another interesting 40 day experience involves a wilderness, some bread, a journey and fasting. We find it in 1 Kings 19. In Chapter 18, Elijah has prayed and the Living God answered by raining fire from heaven to consume his sacrifice. He prayed a second time and the Living God ended a three-year drought by sending a turrential downpour. But upon learning of the defeat of Baal, the god she worshipped, Queen Jezebel has literally swore out a death warrant for the prophet.

Elijah runs for his life. He travels a day into the wilderness to hide. Sitting under a broom bush, he prays again to the God who answered him so miraculously twice before. But this time he prays that God will let him die. Rather irrational to pray to die while running for your life. Perhaps Elijah preferred to die at the hand of the benevolent Lord as opposed to the hand of the malevolent Lady. Maybe he hoped for euthanasia -- a good, quick death -- rather than an excruciating, torturous one.

In his depression, Elijah lay down and slept. Suddenly he was awakened by a stranger. The smell of fresh-baked bread filled his nostrils. The stranger, an angel, told him to eat and drink some fresh water. After this meal Elijah slumps back down into a dreamless sleep.

"Get up and eat!" the angel commands again. He feeds on more bread and water. Elijah now travels 40 days and nights on the strength of that angelic way-bread. With no further meals, He arrives at the place to which God told him to go. There in a cave at the end of his journey, he met with God.

Elijah ran through the wilderness to hide from the powers of a kingdom of this world. Jesus walked through the wilderness to confront the splendor and authority of all the kingdoms of this world. Elijah received special provision for his 40 day journey. Jesus faced His forty days without miraculous way-bread. Elijah went to the wilderness near the end of his ministry. Jesus went to the wilderness near the beginning of His ministry. An angel served Elijah before his fasting. Angels served Jesus after His fasting. Elijah met God in the wilderness. Jesus met the devil.

Elijah tried God's mercy with his request to die. Jesus refused to but the Lord His God to the test. Elijah looked for special acts of God while endangered. Jesus declined God's specific promise of help in the face of danger. Later Jesus would suffer an excruciating (literally - on-a-cross, crux) death rather than seek escape.

Elijah in the wilderness sat down in despair. He had no trusting faith left. He assumed the work of God ended with him. Jesus in the wilderness walked on in trust. He relied on the Word to sustain Him. He knew the work of God began with Him.

The ministry of both Elijah and Jesus were affirmed in the forty days in the wilderness. They both had more work to do for the Lord. Elijah had a ministry anointing a new king and a new prophet to accomplish before his translation in a heavenly chariot. Jesus had an anointed ministry of prophet and priest and king to accomplish before his ascension to His heavenly throne.

Jesus transforms our wilderness from despair to hope. He renews our call to serve in the name of the Lord. He provisions us so that we, too, may reach our God-appointed end.