"ARISE AND EAT"

“ARISE AND EAT”

Last night I was so exhausted that I went to bed early and forgot to set my alarm. I’m a very solid sleeper, so when I woke up with a start at 3:00a.m., I was surprised that it was the exact time I needed to get up for work. I thanked God a bunch of times for waking me up! I would guess God’s done the same for you, when you’ve been too weary to remember to set the alarm too. I truly believe it’s God angels that He sends to wake us up and get us going. Why do I think that? Because it’s in the Bible.

Elijah had just proved to God’s people that the Hebrew God of the Bible was a living God, and way more powerful than Baal. You can read the story in 1 Kings 18. Then Elijah slew the 450 prophets of Baal. Though it was a major victory, Elijah was exhausted. Then he heard that Jezebel, who was worshipping Baal, was furious, and she was vehemently coming after him to kill him like he had done to her prophets. This took him right over the edge. He just couldn’t take another bad thing happening and he blamed himself. He took off to get away from Jezebel, left his servant, and went off by himself.

“He went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree,

“Behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, ‘Arise and eat.’

“And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.

“And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, ‘Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee’.

“And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God” (1 Kings 19:4-8)

The angel of God was determined to get Elijah up and moving. God had more for Elijah to do. We may not be so worn out and upset with ourselves that we want to die like Elijah did, but sometimes we still need a little extra push from an angel. God knows our hearts and He sends His messengers, His helpers, to get us up and moving in the direction He already knows we really want to go. We just needed a little extra supernatural help.

Peter didn’t have a Jezebel coming after him to kill him, but he was in a pretty dire situation himself. Herod knew the Jews were powerful and he wanted them on his side, so since the Christians were a big problem for the Jews, Herod started killing off some of the major players. He’d just killed James, the brother of John, and now he had arrested Peter and had him in prison.

“And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.

“And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, ‘Arise up quickly.’ And his chains fell off from his hands.

“And the angel said unto him, ‘Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals.’ And so he did. And he saith unto him, ‘Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.’

“And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision” (Acts 12:6-9).

When it says the angel “smote” him, it means he gave him a friendly swat, just to wake him up and get him going. It’s funny how the angel had to tell him to get up quickly. Then the angel had to tell him to put his clothes on, and not to forget his shoes. And then he even had to remind him to get his coat wrapped around him. I felt like that this morning. I got up with a start, but then I mentally had to remind myself of my whole getting-ready routine, so I didn’t forget anything important. I was still half asleep I think.

The angel had to walk Peter through his whole routine too. Then finally he told Peter to follow him. Without the angel, and Peter sleep-dazed, he may not have been awake enough to even find his way to the outskirts of the city, where he needed to go. When the angel knew Peter was okay, he took off.

“And when Peter was come to himself, he said, ‘Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews” (Acts 12:11).

In each of these situations, including mine, God sent an angel to get the person up and moving. Not only did the angel actually wake Peter up, and wake Elijah up, and wake me up, but the angel also gently led us through the routine we needed to do to prepare oursleves for the day.

Let’s be like Peter and “come to ourselves” by acknowledging when an angel comes to help us too.

Love, Carolyn