Jesus slept in a boat BEFORE He rebuked the wind and the waves, and BEFORE He healed and freed a demon-possessed man. (Mark 4:35-41, 5:1-20.)

Exhausted, Elijah fell asleep AFTER a mighty victory against the prophets of Baal, AFTER “the power of the Lord came upon him,” and he ran ahead of Ahab, who rode in a chariot. (1 Kings 18:16-46, 19:1-5.)

Elijah was discouraged when he reached a broom tree in the desert and fell asleep – “I have had enough, Lord.” (v.4.) An angel stirred him awake and told him to eat. There was also a jar of water there so he could drink. Elijah got up and ate and drank twice before taking a forty-day and night journey.

Rest is crucial for us all. Food and water too. We can’t keep running on empty, “burning the candle at both ends” and hoping never to burn out.

There are times God wants to use you in a mighty way, and you need to be ready – this could involve taking a nap or simply resting, staying hydrated, or eating a nutritious meal. (No, that bag of potato chips doesn’t count.)

You may also be coming from a great spiritual battle where God used you powerfully to plant seeds, perform a miracle, or love a lost soul to Christ, and now exhaustion has settled into your bones, leaving you emotional or even discouraged, and it’s time to step aside and rest.

If you want to be ready for the next battle, you need to take care of yourself. It’s not a waste of time to prepare yourself for God.

You see, the enemy would love to render you useless for the Kingdom of God by keeping you run-down from lack of sleep, water, or nutritious food. Satan loves to see you physically drained, emotionally spent, and stuffing your face with junk food before rushing out the door to keep up with the world’s busy standards. So when God calls, you have no energy to answer.

Oh, precious soul. You don’t want to miss God’s mighty hand working in your life or the peaceful rest He brings because you chose a candy bar for breakfast or decided to skip that much-needed nap so you could check out your social media accounts.

You’ll want to be ready when God calls.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength.”

Psalm 23:1-3a NLT.

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