1 Kings 18:38 (NIV)

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.

For Meditation

The response of God to our prayers, when we seek to glorify Him, is very intense and emphatic. It is an acceptable offering with a pleasing aroma before Him. When His name is at stake, God leaves no doubt about His power and holiness. He moves in a way that destroys every argument about His reality and attack on His Sovereignty, simply because the praying heart is all about His honor. That’s the lesson of Mount Carmel. 

Note the intensity of God’s response to Elijah’s prayer and how He consumed the sacrifice and everything around it—the wood, the stones, the soil, and the water in the trenches. Powerful, yet gracious. Nothing can stand in His way when God moves to reveal His Majesty. 

God showed His total acceptance of Elijah’s sacrifice in the contest with the prophets of Baal on Carmel, to the amazement of Israel. “When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—He is God! The Lord—He is God!” (39). God demonstrated that He is the living God who directs the works of His people and answers the prayer that seeks His glory. (36-37). 

So, what is the motivation of your heart in prayer? Are you burdened by the offence of the ungodliness of today and the total rejection of God’s rule by this current hi-tech generation? Is that your heart in prayer? What impact do you seek from God’s response?  

If your prayer is Spirit-led, faith-fired, and God-glorifying in perspective, God will glorify Himself in it, as He did it on Carmel. But when He does, be sure to give it all back to Him who alone deserves all glory, honor, and praise.

Shalom