Fasting; The story of Elijah the Prophet:

The third great story of fasting in the Old Testament is different from either of two previous. We find it in 1 Kings 19:1-8. Elijah, that great prophet of God, has just had a mountaintop experience. He has proclaimed a three year drought in God’s name, to show once and for all that Baal, the supposed lord of weather, had no control at all over it. On Mount Carmel, he laid to rest all remaining doubts. Baal and all his prophets were powerless to bring fire to burn a sacrifice, let alone rain to the thirsty land. But when Elijah quietly prayed, the offering was completely consumed, including the altar! The people all professed their belief at least, if not lasting faith, many of them, in the true God. Then the rain came, again in response to Elijah’s prayer, and he outran Ahab, who was mounted, from Carmel to Jezreel, a distance of more than twenty miles.

Perhaps only those who lay themselves out in service, year after year, to God and His people, can understand why Elijah fell into depression soon after such an experience. Jezebel said he was a dead man, and he lost his nerve completely and fled. He went one day’s journey into the wilderness and sat down under a juniper tree and asked God to let him die now. Then he fell into a sleep of exhaustion.

It’s interesting that God didn’t argue with him, in the state he was in. An angel appeared and fed him bread and water. Elijah ate, slept again, and was roused once more to eat the ordinary-seeming bread of heaven. 1 Kings 19:8 says that he “went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.” This is not a fast of repentance, or a fast of asking special things of God. It is not a fast to seek guidance; in fact, it almost appears Elijah had no intention or even recognition of fasting. He wasn’t hungry, apparently. He had eaten the food of angels.

Yet God had a plan and purpose for this fast. He wanted to teach Elijah that He was present not only in the great, noisy events, like the confrontation on Mt. Carmel, but also in the quiet daily events like eating or sleeping or a soft whisper of guidance and reassurance. He wanted to assure him that he was not as alone as he felt; that there were, in fact, 7,000 who had never bowed to Baal. God also took Elijah off duty. He said, in effect, “I know you’re burned out, Elijah. You don’t have to do this alone anymore. Go anoint Elisha - and pretty soon you’ll be coming home to Me.” Elijah’s fast was followed in a fairly short time by his ascension to heaven without death!