When the Journey is too Great

And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.

1 Kings 19:7

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.

Matthew 2:13

Sometimes the journey is just too great for us. We would never be able to make it without supernatural intervention. 

Both the Old Testament prophet Elijah and Joseph, father of Jesus, were faced with journeys too great for them.

It is noteworthy that there is no record of the angel of the Lord condemning them for the difficulty of their journeys. This is important for all those pilgrims who berate themselves for being weak, tired, and terrified of the task before them. God Himself acknowledged that what they faced was more than they could handle alone. He does that. He sees us and loves us right where we are. Then He helps us.

We are not alone on our impossible journeys. The God who makes all things possible is with us.

Our God walks with us. He sends His ministering angels to gently show us what we need to do, and with His provision, we can rise and go, and the story of our lives and the history of God’s kingdom in the world are impacted as a result.

Because Elijah rose and went on the journey too great for him, a new generation was raised up to lead the nations to serve the one true God.

Because Joseph rose and went on the journey too great for him, the Savior of the world was preserved and the words of the prophets fulfilled.

Elijah and Joseph were not just Biblical special people. They are not as different from you and me as we might think at first glance.

Elijah was a man with passion and vision, and he had given his all to the Lord’s service, only to find himself in a place of desolation and discouragement. And self-pity. And confusion. Ever been there?

Joseph was a hard-working, sincere person. A good person. The kind of guy who did the right thing even when it required personal sacrifice. Trained in the quiet, humble work of carpentry, we can guess that fleeing to the country that had enslaved his ancestors was not a journey he would have ever chosen had the command not come from the mouth of the angel fo the Lord. 

Was he scared? You better believe it. Joseph was a good man who was asked to lead his family on an impossible journey. Ever feel that way? An expectation put upon you that you are pretty certain you can’t meet in your own wisdom and strength?

The greatest journeys in our lives are often the ones we never would have chosen. But the promise of provision remains for those who will look to the Lord, no matter how we got to the road we are facing today.

Walking with God is a journey too great for us. We once walked with Him without any hindrance separating us. Sin robbed us of that privilege, with no way to stand again in His presence through our own efforts. The journey back into relationship with Him was so great and impossible that He sent His Son Jesus to be the bridge over which we could make it.

God made the most important First Journey possible through the Messiah, Jesus, the One who is the reason you and I have even heard of Christmas.

What journey are you on right now that is too great for you? There is #hope for you this #Christmas. #encouragement Share on X

Perhaps you are not on your present path by choice. But you are on it. Exhausted and weary, you have even forgotten to eat. Or maybe you just don’t have time to eat or sleep.

Did you notice that the other thing Elijah and Joseph’s stories have in common is that they closed their eyes? When they rested, the provision came. 

Close your eyes a moment. Take a deep breath. Wait for the Lord to give you what you need for the journey too great for you. He will not condemn you; He knows it’s too great for you! The Lord will give you what you need, and in that provision, you will go the distance and change history. Your history. God’s story in the world. The history of someone you love who needs you right now. 

This is a marvelous Christmas gift if you think about it. 

Lord, I am weary. I’m going to close my eyes a moment and rest in You. Give me what I need for this impossible journey. Amen.

@audreycfrank