Tue Mar 10

Listen up, little ones

Especially for the littles in your household.

Listen for the words arise and eat.

Reading

1 Kings 19:5-8—Food. Rest. Grace.

Keys for kids

Also for the littles. Young households might choose, after Keys for Kids, to go directly to praise and prayer.

God didn’t rebuke Elijah in his discouragement.
Instead, angels fed him.
And God gave Elijah sleep.

Questions

(Some read the ?s before the notes/ ask them after.)

How did God first respond to Elijah?
Why did Elijah need food, rest, and grace?
Why do we need food, rest, and grace?

Notes

(See Saturday for authors. Today’s notes are from a commentary on 1 Kings by Tony Merida)

God’s first response to Elijah wasn’t rebuke. It was “eat.” He had fed him with a raven and with a widow, and now He uses an angel to feed him. After Elijah slept under the broom tree, he awoke to an angel who touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” Elijah looked and there was “a loaf of bread baked over hot stones, and a jug of water.” Elijah “ate and drank and lay down again.” This happened a second time, and then “on the strength from that food, he walked 40 days and 40 nights to Horeb.” That’s some good bread! …

How encouraging is it that God feeds His runaway prophet instead of actually answering Elijah’s prayer for death? I find this remarkably encouraging. … Instead of death God gave him cake. Oh, the tenderness of God here! …

Are you drained and dejected like Elijah? Consider also the ministry of Jesus, who tells us, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest … because I am gentle” (Matt 11:28–29). What you need is spiritual rest in Christ, the bread of life (John 6:35). There we find forgiveness and joy, knowing that “no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1). When you have had enough and you look to Him, you find He is enough. …

Perhaps you also need physical rest. Good food and good sleep are wonderful cures to spiritual depression. Sleep and food, after all, are gifts of God (Pss 104:14–15; 127:2).

Swedish Method questions

See the Sunday notes for meaning of the symbols.

Praise

Psalm 104b, 65d

Prayer

Ask God to give you the food, rest, and grace you need.
Give thanks for something from last Lord’s Day’s sermons.
Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.