Elijah prayed for death because...
Illustration
Elijah prayed for death because he could not imagine the goodness and bounty of God. In a miraculous way, God sent an angel who fed him with a "cake." Maybe this was the first angel cake! People of today often make the same mistake, and underestimate God's goodness.
Luther told the story of a king who told a beggar to ask for anything he wanted from the king. The beggar asked only for some beggar's broth -- a weak soup. Instead of being pleased by the beggar's modest request, the king became angry. He had promised anything and was prepared to make a rich gift to the beggar; but the fellow asked only for a trifle he could have gotten anywhere.
In the same way, God invites us to ask for everything we need. "Test me now and see if I won't pour you out a blessing," he says. Of course, God may decide that we have too much already; or that we'd be better off with something else. But he still wants us to ask. For as we ask, we take him at his word, believing his promise.
Luther told the story of a king who told a beggar to ask for anything he wanted from the king. The beggar asked only for some beggar's broth -- a weak soup. Instead of being pleased by the beggar's modest request, the king became angry. He had promised anything and was prepared to make a rich gift to the beggar; but the fellow asked only for a trifle he could have gotten anywhere.
In the same way, God invites us to ask for everything we need. "Test me now and see if I won't pour you out a blessing," he says. Of course, God may decide that we have too much already; or that we'd be better off with something else. But he still wants us to ask. For as we ask, we take him at his word, believing his promise.
