EAT GOOD FOOD
Jenna Worsham
Today's Scripture: “And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, ‘Arise and eat.’ And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again.” 1 Kings 19:5b-6, ESV
Theme: To survive and thrive on the rollercoaster of life, eat good food.
NOT HUNGRY
This week, our family experienced the loss of our beloved dog of 16 years, Molly. On the day she died, I was not hungry. My husband, usually an enthusiastic eater, didn’t think he could stomach even an apple or a banana. Recalling the custom at funerals of food after the service, I made chicken soup with fresh vegetables, barley, a rotisserie chicken, and my own broth. I still wasn’t hungry, but I served up steaming bowls, and we sipped soup together around the table.
There are so many reasons this loss is less than other losses. Yet, no matter what intensity loss may be, it can hit in a way that food, no matter how nourishing, is unappealing. Being bullied, chronic pain, anxiety, danger, and grief may all cause a loss of appetite. In those situations, a moderate amount of healthy, wholesome food may be just the thing, as it was for Elijah.
ARISE AND EAT
Elijah was exhausted, worn out, afraid, and running for his life. Then he went on a big hike, followed by a long rest. I wonder if he just wanted to stay tucked in to sleep and never get up. Certainly, the passage doesn’t say: “Elijah jumped up and prepared a hearty meal, then ate.” Instead, Elijah needed someone to prepare food for him and encourage him to eat it. He ate freshly baked food and drank water at the prompting of an angel, then slept some more before having a second serving. “And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God" (1 Kings 19:8, ESV).
Elijah needed good food to provide strength for the journey. Like him, we are all on a journey. Sometimes, to continue on the journey, I need to accept good food and eat it, as Elijah did. Other times, I need to limit my intake or make sure that most of what I’m eating is wholesome. When I'm not the one in survival mode, maybe I have the role of the angel in this passage; I’m the one who provides a meal and the tender encouragement to arise and eat. The day our dog Molly died, I had two of those roles; I needed both to arise and eat, and to provide wholesome food to the suffering.
AN OBJECT LESSON
Although this passage provides a real-life example of how to manage when we are out of energy or motivation (or both), it also provides an object lesson. “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat” (Isaiah 55:1a, ESV)! Our bodies have a need for physical food and water to function. Our souls also need nourishment and refreshment. “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live” (Isaiah 55:2-3a, ESV). As I consider the way that my body rejects nourishment when I need it most, I am reminded that appetites can be deceiving. When my appetite is low, that doesn’t necessarily mean I don’t need to eat good food. When I crave sugar, that is not the best thing for my body. Just because my spiritual appetite is waning does not mean I can ignore God’s provision and instruction to feed myself spiritually.
Make It Personal: Are you nourishing your body with good, wholesome food? How about your soul? Consider fresh ingredients and homemade foods to nourish yourself and those around you. Consider the kind of nourishment that also feeds your soul. Then, arise and eat.
Pray: Father God, thank You for this food and for Your abundant provision of many types of wholesome food. Help me to feed myself well. Help me to feed those in my care well. Give me the eyes to see what needs I have been ignoring in myself and those around me, and then help me to rely on You for the motivation or appetites I lack. Thank You for Your kind companionship and gentle leading. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Read: Isaiah 55:1-3; 1 Kings 19:5-8
Weekly Memory Verse: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9, ESV