A crowd came together at Mount Carmel to watch a showdown between 450 prophets of Baal—the prominent false god of the time—and Elijah, the one prophet speaking for the true God. (See 1 Kings 18.) Elijah was used to standing up to the powerful, and this occasion would be no different.
Wanting to prove Yahweh’s supremacy once and for all, Elijah challenged the 450 to make an altar to their god, place meat on it, and pray for fire to descend. Baal’s prophets prayed energetically, but to no avail. Then it was Elijah’s turn to place an offering on an altar erected for the Lord, and he upped the ante by drenching the meat and the wood in water. When fire came down and consumed the soaked sacrifice and altar, the people fell to their faces and declared the Lord is God (1 Kings 18:39).
We may not often see such miraculous displays of God’s superiority when confronting false gods in our own life or in the world today. But we can rest assured, knowing that Elijah’s God is our own: the Alpha and Omega, the eternal Father who loves us.
Think about it
• When was the last time God showed up for you in a big way? What are small ways He shows you His love?