Did God forsake Elijah in his hour of trial? Oh, no! He loved His servant no less when Elijah felt himself forsaken of God and man than when, in answer to his prayer, fire flashed from heaven and illuminated the mountaintop. And now, as Elijah slept, a soft touch and a pleasant voice awoke him. He started up in terror, as if to flee, fearing that the enemy had discovered him. But the pitying face bending over him was not the face of an enemy, but of a friend. God had sent an angel from heaven with food for His servant. "Arise and eat," the angel said. "And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head."

Håb og mod er væsentlige forudsætninger for en fuldkommen indsats i Guds tjeneste. Det er syndigt og urimeligt at fortvivle. Gud både kan og vil skænke sine tjenere den styrke, de behøver for at komme igennem prøven. De planer, som hans værks fjender lægger, ser måske ud til at være både gode og velunderbyggede, men Gud kan kuldkaste selv de dristigste af dem. Han vil gøre det til sin egen tid og på sin egen måde, når han ser, at hans tjeneres tro er blevet prøvet tilstrækkeligt.