Even though Elijah felt like he was the only prophet of God left, it did not keep him from challenging the 450 prophets of Baal. He set up a contest, and the winner would be "the god who answers by fire." (vs. 24) How did Elijah know what would happen? Did God give him the game plan, or was Elijah following God with blind faith?
Something that has really leaped off the page at me is Elijah's faith in what God had promised He would do. For example, God told Elijah there would be a drought, and Elijah went and told King Ahab about it. Then God told Elijah the ravens would take care of him and that the widow's flour and oil would not run out. Now in this chapter, God promised to consume Elijah's sacrifice with fire, and after that God said the rain was coming again. I want to know how Elijah could be so sure-fire certain of what God said. Truly, if God told you there would be no rain or that you would never have to put flour and oil on your grocery list, how would you respond? Would you ever dream of challenging your antagonistic co-workers to a sacrificial BBQ Throwdown? Do I even slow down long enough to hear God say anything like that to me? Do I recognize His voice when He does speak? Do I have enough faith to share the word with anyone else, or am I too afraid they will think I'm looney?
We don't see Elijah's kind of faith in our society, girls. Will you share your thoughts on why you think this is the case?
The humor in this Mount Carmel story is fabulous. Elijah has a great time taunting the prophets of Baal! And then Elijah adds insult to injury when he douses his sacrifice with 12 large jars (4 jars x 3 times) of water. No way was that gonna burn, the prophets thought. "Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench." (vs. 38). Ha. Guess I showed you, boys. My God is way bigger than your god!
Elijah's prayer in verses 36 & 37 should be a pattern we follow. What did Elijah ask for? Did he ask for fire? Did he ask for fame for himself? Did he ask God to put the prophets of Baal to shame? No, those would have been selfish requests. Instead, Elijah asked God to prove Himself so that the people would come to believe that He is God. I believe the Bible teaches that God is willing to answer this type of prayer. This prayer of faith does not dictate our wishes to God; it invites Him to display His power in our lives. Asking God to prove Himself in the midst of our difficult circumstances means that we are willing to accept His answer even when it doesn't match our expectations. It means we offer ourselves as a vessel God can use however He pleases. It means we make ourselves available so that God can shine His light into the lives of other people. The outcome we should desire most is for people all around us to fall prostrate and cry out, "The LORD--he is God! The LORD--he is God!" (vs. 39)
In verse 41, Elijah told Ahab "there is the sound of a heavy rain." What? Elijah's spiritual ears are far more keen than mine. It wasn't until after Elijah prayed 7 times that "a cloud as small as a man's hand" rose from the sea. (vs. 44) Was Elijah grasping at straws, or did He really have a promise from God that the black clouds and heavy rain were on the way? At any rate, God's power falls on Elijah, and he runs 20 miles down Mount Carmel to Jezreel.
Will you join me in praying that God will display His power in our lives? It will take a true commitment on our part to be still and wait on His answer. We can't throw a fit when He does not answer on our time schedule or according to our wishes. I'm not certain what to look for, but I'm pretty sure we will know it when our God shows up!
I have struggled many times wondering if it's God who is speaking to me or is it myself just telling me certain things. Does that make sense to anyone else? But I commend Elijah for his trust in God and he knew the Lord was going to prove to all the people. If God could do this, then why do I doubt that he will provide for me?? My God is a powerful God, that should be enough! I think we don't believe God will actually answer us and so that's why we don't see these kinds of things happen in our day (in the US that is). However, if you look to some of the third world countries like India, you hear of many miracles happening maybe not to this extent, but make no mistake it is because of the same GOD!! I believe it's because they have childlike faith. They don't have all the luxuries we have that consume our world. Some only have their faith to get them through each day. God can only work with those who have faith and truly trust Him. Without that, God's working would be for nothing because we wouldn't see it as such. When you are trusting God, you are more incline to see the miracles of God. Be certain, God is at work even when we aren't noticing it. It may be a small thing, but it is God none the less who is behind it all. What would happen if we trusted like Elijah, prayed like Elijah, voiced it like Elijah, gave God the glory like Elijah? Oh, I shudder to think of what God would do if we were more Elijah like! That is an exciting thought!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, that makes perfect sense.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we are too self-sufficient in America to need a God of miracles like those living in poverty. We are the ones missing out!
Reminds me of the song, "These are the days of Elijah!"