1 Kings 18:25–40 ‘When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The LORD – he is God!”’ (v39)
‘Not only has he defeated the prophets of Baal, he’s just invented the barbecue.’ So muses popular author Nick Page about Elijah when he encounters the prophets of Baal.
This is a wry observation, but one that reflects the power of the almighty God. After all, this interaction between God’s man and the false god’s men shows Baal up as being useless and without power.
Baal’s prophets employ every trick they know to try to get their god to respond, but he remains silent. Elijah, in contrast, douses the trench with bucket after bucket of water to show that his God is the true God.
And the Lord responds with fire that not only devours the sacrificial bull, but also all the water, wood, stones and even the soil.
The people are left without doubt that the Lord is God. And this is the meaning of Elijah’s name – the Lord is God.
Have you considered what it means that the Lord is God? Today we might speak of the ‘lordship of Christ’ – meaning that we give Him every inch of our lives, from our thoughts to our dreams to our disappointments and our triumphs.
We submit ourselves to His care and His plans, knowing that even when we cannot sense His presence, He will guide us.
Sometimes the hardest moments to embrace the lordship of Christ in our lives are when we feel far from Him. We may not sense His presence, perhaps because of a bereavement or disappointment.
And yet if we can stay true to Him, asking Him to give us strength to remain faithful, later on when we look back over our faith journey we often can detect His touches of grace and love.
A Prayer To Make:
‘Lord God, sometimes I’m afraid to hand over my life to You. Niggling fears keep me from trusting. Help me to release my whole self, that I might enjoy Your love. Amen.’
An Action To Take:
Write out which areas of your life you can submit to God’s loving care today.
Scripture To Consider:
Exod. 3:14–15; Isa. 45:5–8; Acts 2:33–36; 2 Cor. 4:1–6
