Believes In The Power Of Prayer

Believes In The Power Of Prayer

A HERO’S TALE

The time had almost come for rain.

But before God ended the long drought on Israel, he wanted to prove something to evil King Ahab; his wicked wife, Jezebel; and all the confused people in Israel who believed that Baal was a real god. So in 1 Kings 18, he told Elijah to gather the 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. An epic cosmic duel was about to begin.

The rules were simple: each side would sacrifice a bull on an altar. Ahab’s prophets would sacrifice to Baal, and Elijah would sacrifice to God. Whoever answered with fire from heaven would prove to be the true God.

For most of the day, the false prophets shouted, danced, and even cut themselves to get Baal’s attention. Not so smart, huh? Of course, nothing happened.

Finally, it was Elijah’s turn. He stepped forward and busted out his secret weapon: prayer to the Lord God Almighty!

“O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” Elijah prayed, “prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant” (1 Kings 18:36). Immediately, fire fell from heaven and consumed the entire altar, including a trench filled with water that Elijah had dug around it. It was a blowout victory for God!

Elijah accomplished many other great things in his life through prayer. After the God versus Baal showdown, Elijah prayed for God to end the 3½-year drought, and God sent a huge rainstorm. Another time, Elijah prayed for God to raise a widow’s son from the dead, and God did.

DECODING THE MESSAGE

Was Elijah a magician? Did he possess rare superpowers? No, Elijah was simply a lean, mean praying machine!

Every great deed of Elijah’s came through prayer to the one true God. When Elijah wanted to do something amazing, he always asked the Lord for help.

Prayer is simply talking to God. And it’s a wonderful privilege. Sinners like us don’t deserve to speak to a holy God, but that’s exactly what he allows us to do through prayer.

It’s also a way to show how much we depend on God. It teaches us to be humble and trust the Lord, not ourselves. When you pray, you’re admitting there’s a greater power than you out there.

Elijah understood that. He knew that on his own, he couldn’t bring fire from heaven, cause it to rain, or raise the dead. But he also knew who could, so he prayed to him —and marvelous things happened.

God’s heroes believe in the power of prayer!

BATTLE PLAN

Set aside 5 to 10 minutes each day to pray, and watch how God starts working mightily in your life!