Today’s Devotion
Topic: Don’t Wait Till The Fire Comes!
Text: 1 Kings 18: 39
When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—He is God! The Lord—He is God!” Amen
King Ahab and his wife Jezebel had succeeded in leading Israel astray. The queen had introduced the foreign gods her father worshipped in Israel and caused many to stumble.
Elijah the prophet of God, dared the prophets of Baal to a contest that should prove the God who is more powerful. Both parties were to command fire to consume a sacrifice on the altar.
The prophets of Baal, about 400 in all, did all they could to conjure fire from the heavens but failed on each attempt. This went on for hours till they begun cutting themselves. When they convinced each other that their gods simply could not show up where the presence of the Almighty God dwells, they gave up.
Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.”
With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.” “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
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. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”
The question here is, “must it take another Elijah calling forth fire before we realise that the Lord—HE IS GOD? Must it take another contest before we lie prostrate before God and worship?
Certainly not! For great is the Lord and He’s most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom. One generation commends His works to another, they tell of His mighty acts (Ps 145: 3- 4). From the beginning He is and shall forever remain.
Do you now see why waiting till the fire drops before you worship is probably not a great idea? Begin to worship the Lord, no matter your circumstances and trust Him with your life. Lift Him up like never before until your whole being agrees with the people of Israel that the Lord—HE IS GOD! He will show up in the beauty of holiness and turn your life around for good.
Don’t wait till the fire comes. Break away from sin and the idols of Jezebel. Adore the Lord as God and watch in amazement how the heavens cloud all over you with timely blessings you cannot measure! See you at church.
