“Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.” (1 Kings 18:38)
Elijah met up with the false prophets of Baal and made a challenge to them: “Let’s find out who really is God.”
Elijah offered this challenge because he knew that the one true God deserves to be worshipped. The prophets of Baal accepted Elijah’s challenge and spent all day trying to make their gods do what they wanted. They prayed and cried and hollered and even cut themselves, but they never heard a peep out of their idols. They tried to get their god Baal to answer them or at least to do something to show that he had heard them.
But there was one slight problem. Baal was not able to hear them. He did not have real ears. He was a man-made idol, not a real God. As Elijah watched these prophets, he laughed and made fun of their thinking. If they made their god, and if they could tell it what to do, and if they were stronger than their god, then how could this god help in time of need? It could not give them anything they had not already given it!
The one, true, living God, however, is the Creator of life, and He is not controlled by anyone or anything. Elijah knew he served this powerful God. At the end of the day, after the prophets had tried and tried to get their god’s attention, Elijah basically said, “Let’s see what God can do!” Elijah then completely soaked the altar with water. He wanted to be sure that God would receive all the praise for whatever He did, and that there would be no question about whether Elijah had faked something or cheated.
Once this was done, Elijah called on God to prove to the people that He is God. Then the fire of the Lord consumed (burnt to a crisp) the sacrifice, the altar, and all the water around it. Clearly, God had heard Elijah. For God’s own glory’s sake, He answered Elijah’s request. God made Himself known as the one true God. He exposed Baal for what Baal was: a fake god that could not hear or answer prayers.
God is not limited by the same things that limit us. He cannot be sidetracked from anything He wants to do. He cannot be stopped unless He wants to be stopped. He does not depend upon us. It is a very comforting thought to know that God has the power to do all that He says He will do. God does not send down fire from heaven today, but He does have the power to prove He is the one true God. He does do all that is best for His glory and best for us. Aren’t you glad that God is stronger than we are?
God is powerful. He can and will do all that He says He will do.
My Response:
» Do I believe that God is truly able to accomplish His promises?
» If so, do I trust in His promises every day?