Sometimes, I'm jealous of Elijah. He prayed and God sent fire from heaven, defeating 450 corrupt prophets, ending a three-year drought, and embarrassing a king and queen whose names have become interchangeable with "wicked." If I were him, and if they had it back then, I'd celebrate with some chocolate ice cream. But underneath the surface, Elijah is burnt out. The pressure to depend on God, live with integrity, and do impossibly hard work has crushed him. The text doesn't flinch: he's suicidal. God notices. Instead of insisting Elijah go and do something for him, God attends to the needs of his beloved friend. He gives him a night of uninterrupted rest. An angel is sitting there, attending to him. At the right time, the angel wakes him to ensure he's fed, hydrated, and safe. Elijah collapses into another bout of rest. Again, the angel ministers to Elijah's needs, and then the prophet has regained the strength to go far away to be with God. God cares for Elijah's body before he addresses Elijah's theology. Sometimes we think exhaustion is a spiritual problem requiring a spiritual solution. But neither Elijah nor we can spiritualize away our creatureliness. Moses couldn't stockpile manna, and we cannot run on empty. God doesn't rush Elijah back into action. Instead, he's baking bread. He gives him forty days of walking and thinking to recover and rest. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is eat a meal and take a nap.