Psalms 100:5 For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.
Elijah was afraid. He had just received a message from Queen Jezebel saying, “May the gods judge me severely if by this time tomorrow I do not take your life as you did theirs!”
The Challenge
Mount Carmel was the scheduled location for the faceoff between Elijah – the prophet of the Living God – and 450 prophets of baal. The challenge was to place their sacrifices on wood and call fire from heaven to burn the meat.
The prophets of baal prayed, danced, and even cut themselves to please their god. But the only heat they felt was from the midday sun. Hours passed, but a fire was nowhere in sight.
As evening approached, Elijah having seen enough, placed his sacrifice on the altar that he’d built, dug a trench around it, and poured 12 jugs of water on the sacrifice. Then he called on the God of the Bible to bring fire from heaven and prove once and for all that He was the Living God!
Instantly, fire came down and not only burnt the offering, but dried the trench around the altar. That evening, Elijah destroyed the prophets of baal. When this news reached Jezebel, she was furious and vowed to kill Elijah.
How do you think Elijah reacted to her threat?
Elijah’s Response
We would assume that this great prophet would fear nobody.
On the contrary, Elijah fled the city! To make matters worse he pleaded with God to take his life.
Can you imagine how God must have felt?
But, God is merciful. He sent an angel to Elijah with food. Later, when he was well-fed and rested, God told Elijah to continue on his journey toward the destiny He had planned for him.
That’s our God! He is slow to anger and plentiful in mercy. When we take a detour, He reroutes our life and puts us back on track.
The Solution
Hasn’t God proved His sovereignty over our life time and again?
Yet, at times, when faced with trouble, we forget about the might of our God. That’s why the Bible tells us to begin our prayer with worship. It reminds us about the greatness of our God!
Let’s take every problem to God in prayer, knowing that the Creator of the Universe will fight our battles and give us victory!
