I Kings Prayer

Elijah’s Prayer at Mount Carmel.
…the prophet Elijah went near the altar. “Lord, You are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,” he prayed. “Prove that You are the God of Israel and that I am your servant. Show these people that You commanded me to do all these things. Lord, answer my prayer so these people will know that You, Lord, are God and that You will change their minds.” I Kings 18:36-37 NCV

At Mount Carmel, Elijah approached the people and said, “How long will you not decide between two choices? If the Lord is the true God, follow Him, but if Baal is the true God, follow him!” But the people said nothing. Elijah said, “I am the only prophet of the Lord here, but there are 450 prophets of Baal. You prophets of Baal, pray to your god, and I will pray to the Lord. The god who answers by setting fire to his wood is the true God.” All the people agreed that this was a good idea. (I Kings 18:21, 22, 24). So Elijah told the prophets to go first and worship their Baal and pray for the fire to come to the altar. They prayed, shout louder, cut themselves until the blood flowed and danced around the altar of Baal from morning until evening. The Baal did not send the fire and finally, they gave up. It was Elijah’s turn.

Elijah was a man who had faith that his prayers to God at the altar would open the eyes of Israel. The fire of the Lord came down and burned the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the ground around the altar. It also dried up the water in the ditch. When all the people saw this, they fell down to the ground, crying, “The Lord is God! The Lord is God!” Elijah’s prayer was answered when Israel turned their heart back to the Lord God of Israel. The people changed their mind about Baal and choose to worship God only. [Suggest reading I Kings 18 Story of King Ahab and Elijah].

One of the Ten Commandment quoted: Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of any thing. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God. [Exodus 20:1-5 paraphrase]. This is a simple reminder that God is the creator of heaven and earth while any other gods have done nothing. God wants our praise and our adoration so let’s make God happy today.