At the time for offering the evening sacrifice, the prophet Elijah approached the altar and said, “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that you are God in Israel and I am your servant, and that at your word I have done all these things. Answer me, Lord! Answer me so that this people will know that you, the Lord, are God and that you have turned their hearts back.” (1 Kings 18:36-37)
It was a dark time in Israel’s history. The people were confused, wavering between belief in the Lord and in Baal (v. 21). Ahab was the king, the seventh king of Israel, and Jezebel was his wife. Jezebel had the Lord’s prophets “slaughtered” (v. 4). King Ahab turned to Baal worship – he had 450 prophets of Baal and Jezebel had 400 prophets of Asherah. God had caused a severe famine in the land and there was a man-hunt for Elijah, the only remaining prophet of the Lord.
Elijah appeared and challenged Ahab to show the people which God was true and powerful. The prophets of Baal would prepare one altar and call on Baal to send fire to burn the offering. The prophets attempted fanatical things to get Baal to respond. However, after trying all day, Baal didn’t respond. Then it was Elijah’s turn. He prepared the altar, and had the people drench the altar and offering with water three times. Then he prayed the prayer quoted above. The Lord answered and consumed the offering.
What can we learn from Elijah’s prayer?
- When you pray, pray to the only true God. Elijah’s stated purpose for the contest was that “the people will know that you, the Lord, are God.” It was God’s purpose that he would be shown as the only God, and that Baal would be shown to be impotent. There are many competing gods today, still there is only one true God.
- When you pray, recognize that you are praying to an incredibly powerful God. When God answered Elijah’s prayer, the fire not only consumed the offering and the wood, but also the entire altar, even the stones.
- When you pray, pray fervently! The passage tells us that God had given Elijah instructions for this contest. Elijah could have prayed, “Lord, do your thing” or “let the contest begin.” Rather Elijah prayed “Answer me, Lord! Answer me . . . let it be known that you are God in Israel.”
As Easter approaches, how do we pray? Do we proclaim that the resurrection proves that Jesus is the only true God? Do we recognize the incredible power of the resurrection? Do we pray fervently that God would use the resurrection to show our loved ones that he is God? Or, are we complacent in our prayers, assuming that God is at work with or without our prayers?