1 Kings 18:1-46

There are times when God calls us to step up to the plate and do big things in His name.  Elijah has spent years in hiding and the scope of his ministry was very limited.  I am sure that there were many discouraging days when he felt like he had been forgotten or put on a shelf.  He was alone, in hiding and lived in fear for his life.  However, this day was a big day and God was about to use him in a very big and bold way.  There was about to be a public confrontation and Elijah would be God’s point man in this event.  We must always be prepared for the big days by being faithful in the days that are not so grand.  God is always faithful and He expects His servants to be faithful in all of the different circumstances in which He sees fit to place us.

GOD IS FAITHFUL TO PRESERVE HIS PEOPLE: Elijah felt like he was all alone and that he was the only one left in the entire nation that was not following the wicked ways of the Ahab and his wife.  The truth was that there were one-hundred other prophets of God who had been hidden away and protected by one of Ahab’s servants: Obadiah.  Loneliness is a very hard thing to endure, but the reality is that we are never alone.  We are part of a body of believers that God has preserved and we can take great comfort in knowing that we are part of that body.   There many faithful people of whom we are not even aware.  This should be a great comfort to us in those moments when we feel like we are alone.  God is always with us and God has always been faithful to maintain a faithful remnant of His followers.

GOD IS FAITHFUL TO PROVE HIS POWER: When Elijah shows himself to Ahab, it was a great act of courage because Ahab wanted him dead.  Elijah does not cower in fear; he confronts Ahab and calls him out in public to prove that God is behind him and his message and that Ahab’s idolatrous practices have been an affront to the true God of Israel.  The contest is simple and straight forward.  Elijah would make an altar and place a sacrifice on it as would the prophets of Baal.  Then they would call out for fire from heaven and see who was the one and only true God.  The prophets of Baal went first and made a big show and yelled screamed and cut themselves bet there was no answer.  Elijah mocked them and questioned if their god was sleeping or using the bathroom.  When the frenzy was over and the sacrifice was covered with flies but no fire Elijah takes his turn.  The sacrifice was doused with water to make sure there could be no accusations of tricks and then Elijah simply prayed for the power of God to be revealed.  Everything was consumed and the people were in awe of the power of God and for the first time in a long time felt the fear of God.  Elijah calls the people to capture the prophets of Baal and then he slaughters every single one of them for their idolatry.  God is all powerful and He cares very deeply about His name.  There may be long periods of “silence” but that must never be mistaken for indifference or deficiency on His part.  We can be assured of His power and His willingness to defend His name.

GOD IS FAITHFUL TO PROVIDE HIS PROMISE: As Elijah had promised; there would be no rain until he called for it and that is what happened.  Elijah prayed and asked God to send the rain on a cloudless day.  God answered and sent a storm that split the skies and the rain fell on all of the land.  When God makes a promise we can be assured that He will keep it.  There are times where Elijah might have feared that God would not respond to his prayer, but the truth is that God is always faithful to keep His promises.  It may take longer than we would like at times but we can rest assured that God’s promises are all true and will come to pass in the time that He has determined.