The Audacity To Believe That God Will Answer
So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. When he saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?"
"I have not made trouble for Israel," Elijah replied. "But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the LORD's command and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."
So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow Him." But the people said nothing.
Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only one of the LORD's prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let Baal's prophets choose one for themselves. and let them cut it to pieces and put it on wood but not set it fire. I will prepare the other bull and put it on wood but not set fire to it. Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire -- he is God."
Then all the people said, "What you say is good."
"I have not made trouble for Israel," Elijah replied. "But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the LORD's command and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."
So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow Him." But the people said nothing.
Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only one of the LORD's prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let Baal's prophets choose one for themselves. and let them cut it to pieces and put it on wood but not set it fire. I will prepare the other bull and put it on wood but not set fire to it. Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire -- he is God."
Then all the people said, "What you say is good."
I Kings 18:16-24
One of the most spectacular miracles in the Bible is about to take place. Elijah was about to call down fire from heaven to consume an earthly sacrifice.
Elijah boldly challenged the apostate king and people of Israel to call on their god to answer by bringing down fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice. It is interesting to note the Hebrew expression Elijah used to confront the people: "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him." The Hebrew word for waver is the same word for "dance" which described what the prophets of Baal did as they danced around their altar calling on Baal to answer by fire.
Elijah was directly telling the people that you cannot "shuffle" or "dance" between Yahweh and any other god. Yahweh has no equal so He can not be treated with such contempt. You either follow Him loyally or you do not. Not surprisingly, the people said nothing to that direct confrontation. They had reneged on their covenant loyalty to God and were worshiping Baal and paying lip service to God. But God would not have that. The people paid a high price by being hit with a severe drought.
So, how could Elijah have such audacity to believe that God will hear his audacious prayers and answer with fire from Heaven to consume his sacrifice? We find the answer in his address to the people: "I am the only one of the LORD's prophets left." In other words, Elijah was the only prophet of God willing to publicly confront the apostate King Ahab who had abandoned the true God and was clinging to a detestable god represented by a wooden pole.
Elijah had the audacity to believe God to answer his audacious prayers because he was not wavering or dancing between two gods. His heart was fixed on the true God of Israel so he could make humble but bold demands at the Throne of God. Also, his confidence was based on the fact that God had instructed him to believe for the rains to come and the drought to end.
If we want God to answer our audacious prayers, then we must do two things:
First, our trust and obedience must be unwavering.
Second, we must believe and act on the word of God. The Bible says in James that Elijah was a man just like us. So we can believe God and expect Him to answer us just like He did for Elijah.
Prayer: Father, you are the God who answers by fire. May you answer my audacious prayers just like you answered Elijah. Amen.