One of my favourite stories from the Old Testament is that of Elijah who, threatened with death, fled out into the barren dry desert. Elijah is a strong, forceful character, but after a confrontation with the priests of Baal, he became depressed and frightened. He lost his motivation and courage and lay down in the shade of a tree, wishing he would die. Suddenly an angel touched him gently and gave him bread baked on coals and water, telling him to eat or else he will not be able to continue on his journey. He ate but had only the energy to sleep again. Again the angel gently touched him and encouraged him on his journey. Eventually Elijah rose and walked for forty days and nights to the Mountain of God. As I have said before, these stories can be read on a number of levels. We can learn general themes about life in the individual story of this man. Elijah is like a lot of us when events or people turn against us. It can lead us to doubt ourselves and the direction we had taken. Sometimes we feel we cannot go on by ourselves. It is at that point, that frequently an "angel" comes to comfort and support us, someone whose encouragement or understanding simply gives us the strength to go on. The angel is gentle and wakes Elijah up slowly. In our lives we notice that often others do not give up on us as easily as we give up on ourselves. They provide the nourishment we need at that time, often simply just by listening. In the story the bread is baken on coals, symbolishing the ashes of the past experience. The angel opens our eyes and shows us what is right beside us to eat, which we had not seen up to that point. Even in the desert there is bread. Encouraged, we move on for forty days, forty being the biblical number for transformation, leaving behind the past, moving on to a deeper sense of self.
