It is kind of funny that this is the verse I highlighted.
Because in the same chapter, God just rained down fire from heaven. He burned up a soaking wet altar in front of hundreds of people who had been worshiping a false god. That is the headline moment. That is the unforgettable scene.
And yet this little verse at the end is what I marked.
Elijah, with special strength from God, tucking his cloak into his belt and outrunning a chariot all the way to Jezreel.
It almost sounds like a superhero story when you read it that way. And honestly that is part of why it stuck with me. It seems so unrealistic compared to everything else. But then I had to laugh at myself, because what God did with the fire was so much more impressive than a man running fast.
I think the reason it stayed with me is what it says underneath the story.
God gives special strength.
Not just to prophets. Not just in dramatic moments. He gives it to His people, still, today.
But here is the thing. Most of the time, that strength does not look like running ahead of a chariot.
It looks like getting out of bed when you have not slept.
It looks like showing up for your people when you have nothing left.
It looks like finishing the thing you swore you could not finish.
It looks like staying soft when life has handed you every reason to go hard.
It looks like persevering when by every reasonable measure, you should already be done.
That is special strength too.
It is just quieter. No one is going to write a Bible story about the day you kept going when you wanted to quit. But God sees it. And He is the One giving you what you need to do it.
Elijah ran. You might just be standing. Both take strength that does not come from you.