17, 18. (a) What happened to Elijah on the road to Jezreel? (b) What was remarkable about Elijah’s running from Carmel to Jezreel? (See also footnote.)

¹⁷ Jehovah’s prophet began to make his way along the same road Ahab had taken. A long, dark, wet trek lay ahead of him. But something unusual happened next.

¹⁸ “The very hand of Jehovah proved to be upon Elijah, so that he girded up his hips and went running ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.” (1 Ki. 18:46) Clearly, “the very hand of Jehovah” was acting on Elijah in a supernatural way. Jezreel was 19 miles (30 km) distant, and Elijah was no youth.a Just picture that prophet girding up his long garments, tying them at his hips so that his legs would have freedom of movement, and then running along that rain-drenched road​—running so fast that he caught up with, passed, and outpaced the royal chariot!

19. (a) Elijah’s God-given energy and stamina may remind us of what prophecies? (b) As Elijah ran to Jezreel, what did he surely know?

¹⁹ What a blessing that must have been for Elijah! To feel such strength, vitality, and stamina​—perhaps even more than he had ever felt in his youth—​must have proved a thrilling experience. We might recall the prophecies that guarantee perfect health and vigor to faithful ones in the coming earthly Paradise. (Read Isaiah 35:6; Luke 23:43) As Elijah raced along that wet road, he surely knew that he had the approval of his Father, the only true God, Jehovah!

1, 2. What happened on the most eventful day of Elijah’s life?

ELIJAH ran through the rain as the darkness deepened. He had a long way to go before he would reach Jezreel, and he was no young man. Yet, he ran on tirelessly, for “the very hand of Jehovah” was upon him. The energy coursing through his body was surely unlike any he had ever known. Why, he had just outpaced the team of horses that was pulling King Ahab in his royal chariot!​—Read 1 Kings 18:46.