In 1 Kings chapter 19, we encounter an exhausted Elijah. He prays to die and the Lord provides him with fresh bread and water. He goes into the cave and then experiences the majestic presence of God in the form of a gentle whisper.

God asks him twice “What are you doing here?” Elijah responds that he has been zealous for the Lord and done some incredible things for Him. He claims that he is the only one left that serves the Lord.

Elijah lodges his complaint- as I have done so many, many times. My complaint is slightly different. Let’s be honest, it’s usually me whining about how God has put too much on my plate- too much physically or too much emotionally. My complaint usually ends with me telling God to fix it somehow.

I’m going to take a little biblical license here and bet that Elijah wanted God to fix his complaint, too. I’m going to say that Elijah and I are similar in the fact that he probably wanted God to snap His fingers and fix the problem. We know that Elijah was already exhausted and at his breaking point. He felt like he couldn’t handle anything else.

So, God added more. He gave him a task. He told him to go home (by walking, I assume), anoint two kings and anoint Elisha as his successor. Like the kids say these days- I can’t even. Couldn’t God have at least provided that chariot of fire to make his journey back home easier?

Can you imagine? Elijah probably had to go buy some new anointing oil and then find Hazael and Jehu. (I assume he threw his out in frustration when he was ready to die.) Explain everything to them and then find Elisha. and do it all over again. God had him wandering all over Israel.

Sometimes when we want God to wave His magic wand to fix things, He wants to give us an assignment instead. THAT is a bitter pill for me to swallow. God was ultimately going to address Elijah’s issue, but Elijah still had a part to play in the response. If you are frustrated and waiting for God to fix something for you or to answer a prayer, I want to encourage you that God’s solutions often include work from our side.

-Shiney