Prayer of Elijah

Prayer of Elijah

1 King 18:37 "Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again."

At the time of Ahab, Elijah faced persecution because of his message.  When he gathered the people of Israel and challenged them with the question, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.", the people said nothing.  They were either too confused, or they were just too hardened in their heart that they refused to make a choice. 

How often we are like the Israelites.  We refused to make a stand.  We were so complacent with our situation. 

It came to the point where Elijah had to proposed a challenge, a test of who is the real God.  He proposed to prepare two bulls, one for the prophets of Baal, and another for himself.  They will to cut the bull into pieces and place on top of wood, without setting fire to it.  The challenge will be tocall on the name of their god and the god answers by fire, he is God.

Of course we know that Baal did not answer his prophets.  So when it came to Elijah's turn to offer the bull, he told the people to pour water onto the offering and on the wood, until the water ran down from around the altar and even filled the trench he had dug around the altar.

Then with faith, he prayed, "Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again."

The result, " 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."  God answered his prayer.  God performed the impossible.

The scripture tells us," ³⁹ When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The LORD -he is God! The LORD -he is God!"

This is when the people spoke up and dclare with their hearts that Jehovah is God!.  There is a revival!

Let Elijah's prayer be our prayer today, that the Lord will work in our life, so that people when they see us, will be able to conclude with conviction that the Lord is God, and turn their heart back to God again.  Let us be willing to stand up for God in the midst of a sinful, crooked world.