| I Kings 18:1-46; Acts 11:1-30; Psalm 135:1-21; Proverbs 17:12-13
Let me give you a little background. There is a drought induced famine in the land that was brought about by the prophet Elijah. King Ahab has been hunting him for three years. Now Elijah shows up and tells the man in charge of the palace, Obadiah, to announce to Ahab that he is back. Once Ahab comes out, Elijah then tells him to gather all of the Israelites together. The people all come out, I am sure, to see Elijah call down the rain. That’s so like us, to expect the blessing without acknowledging God or our sin. The heavens were shut because of the wickedness of King Ahab and the Israelites, there had been no repentance yet they all gathered looking for Elijah to pray for rain.
However, what they got was a demand. “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him. But if Baal, follow him.” The implication was that their indecision was causing them to limp through life. By refusing to follow the Lord wholly, they kept themselves from God and the abundant life offered to His children. The rest of that verse reads, “But the people didn’t answer a word.” (I Kings 18:21) Now I’d like to point out here that while Elijah wasn’t the only person serving the Lord, he certainly was standing alone that day. You have the king, the nation and the prophets of Baal all looking at him. You know, sometimes you might be the only one in the crowd to stand for God and to speak truth. Don’t be afraid, as long as God is with you, you are the majority! (II Kings 6:16-17)
Instead of the rain they expected to see, they were called to witness a challenge that is presented by Elijah. The prophet invites the priests of Baal to a contest of the gods. They both must build an altar to their god, whomever brings down the fire first worships the true God.
“‘Answer me, Lord! Answer me so that this people will know that You, the Lord, are God and that You have turned their hearts back.’ Then the Lord’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell face-down and said, ‘The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!'” (18:37-39) Then it started to rain…
PRAYER:
Lord, be real to me. I don’t want to waiver in my faith. I don’t want to limp around, indecisive in my beliefs. I don’t want to ride the fence. I don’t want to serve You on Sunday but get caught up in the crowd the rest of the week. Help me to be solid and consistent. I see that repentance and acknowledgment always precede the rain – I acknowledge that You alone are God and I ask You to forgive me for all of my sins. Let Your anointing saturate my life. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen. |
