Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Today's reading titled, You're Not Alone, was written by Patricia Rabin.

So great to see you. You too. So glad you're here.

The greetings were warm and welcoming.

Members of a ministry in Southern California gathered online before their evening program.

As their speaker, calling in from Colorado, I watched silently as the others gathered on the video call.

As an introvert and not knowing anyone, I felt like a social outsider.

Then suddenly a screen opened, and there was my pastor.

Then another screen opened.

A long-time church friend was joining the call, too. Seeing them,

I no longer felt alone. God, it seemed, had sent support. Elijah in First Kings chapter 19 wasn't alone either, despite feeling like the only prophet left after fleeing the wrath of Jezebel and Ahab.

Journeying through desert wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights, Elijah hid in a cave on

Mount Horib. But God called him back into service, telling him,

Go back the way you came, and go to the desert of Damascus. When you get there,

anoint Hazahel, king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, king over Israel,

and anoint Elisha, son of Shafat, from Abel Mahola,

to succeed you as prophet.

God then assured him, yet I reserve 7,000 in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed down to bail and whose mouths have not kissed him.

As Elijah learned, while serving God, we don't serve alone. As God brings help, we'll serve together.

Today's Our Daily Bread Devotional Scripture reading is from First Kings chapter 19, verses 8 through 11,

and verses 15 through 18. So, he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled 40 days and 40 nights

until he reached Horib, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night,

and the word of the Lord came to him.

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