Paddling Upstream

I kayaked on the mighty Susquehanna yesterday. It is a huge river, and has a strong current to struggle upstream against. Most of the time, I was the only one on the river. Progress was slow against the current, but steady. I wanted to pause for a sip of water, but felt I must delay that till the turn around point. If I stopped paddling, the current carried me backwards, and I hated to lose the hard fought gains. The only way I could stop paddling would be to find a place to dock that was protected from the current. A place of refuge and rest.

My daily Bible reading was one of my favorite stories in scripture, 1Kings, chapters 18 and 19. That is the passage where Elijah the prophet of God soundly defeats the false god of the pagans, Baal, in an impressive showdown on a mountain top. Elijah challenges the supporters of Baal to produce fire on a pile of wood. Of course, Baal cannot do so. Then Elijah douses his wood pile with water, and calls down fire from God. The sticks burst into flame. Yet right after this victory, the evil queen of the land, Jezebel, orders Elijah to be killed, and he flees for his life. He is so despairing of his continual fighting for God, abandoned and alone, and being unjustly pursued and maligned, that he finally collapses and asks God to take his life now. It is all too much. The current is too strong and if he stops running, he will be blown backwards.

God provides food, shelter, and sleep. Most importantly, He gives Elijah a glimpse of Him, the awesome awareness of His presence. Then He reminds Elijah he is not alone, and God has reserved a remnant of people who still love and follow Him. He gives Elijah his next goal. God is Elijah's refuge, his resting place, and his strength. After this encounter, Elijah's purpose and confidence is restored, and he moves on to the tasks God has set before him.

My arms and back are aching as I kayak. I know I can't go much further. I pause in a protected little area where the current is deflected by a small island, sipping my water. With renewed vigor, I continue upstream.
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^{1Kings 19: 3-5, 9-11}

³ Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, ⁴ while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” ⁵ Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
¹⁰ He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
¹¹ The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”