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Week 12: April 24-30


The Power of God

I Kings 18:39

And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God.”

In this time in Israel’s history we, as the readers, see a repeated pattern: God’s people turn away from God and turn to idols and false gods. God sends a prophet with a message for the people. Next, there is usually a display of God’s power through awe or judgment. Then the people turn back to God. This process is repeated over and over in the Old Testament. This could cause us to focus on man’s repeated failure, but we can also choose to see God’s awesome power and His unrelenting faithfulness to His people.

In I Kings 18, we drop into one of those situations when God is about to display His power and turn the hearts of the people back to Him. The Israelites, under the leadership of wicked king Ahab, were worshiping false gods, specifically a god named Baal. Baal is referred to many times in the Old Testament. God’s prophet Elijah asks the people in verse 21 how long they will try to serve God and Baal. Elijah then challenges them to a throwdown of the gods! The challenge is simple. Each prophet should put a bull on the altar and call upon their god. The god who answers by consuming the offering is the true God (verse 24)!

If you read this story, it is very entertaining. At one point, Elijah taunts the prophets of Baal. He asks if their god is sleeping, or on a trip, or even if he is using the bathroom (verse 27). Please enjoy this humor; Elijah is mocking this sinful, horrible, false god that is deceiving the people. Baal is a creation of Satan that is challenging the worship of the true God, Yahweh. Baal is a manmade creation that assaults the name of God and deserves this level of degradation.

After hours and hours of nothing from Baal, Elijah gets everyone ready for the real show! Elijah prepares the altar by drenching it with water. He says a simple prayer to God. Catch the first word of verse 38: “Then.” God immediately answers Elijah and rains down fire on the altar. I wish I could have been there to see this display of God’s power. The entire thing is consumed! No bull, no stones, no water - nothing is left! Then we hear the most important words of this story in verse 39 when the people shout, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”

How do we connect this to today in 2016? At their core, idols and false gods are really ways to get what you want now. Why go to Yahweh when these other things can give me what I want now? Modern day idols in 2016 can be money and “the American Dream,” but could also include other false gods. We see these things getting us to what we want quicker. A display of God’s power reminds us who is truly in charge and how things really work in life. God gives, God guides, God rules. I believe seeing God’s true power knits us closer to the reality of the Christian life. Not seeing God’s power will make us weak Christians that can easily be pulled from our beliefs in times of trouble and trial - which will come.

How can I see God’s power? Here are 3 ways: 

  1. Take time to reflect on your past and what God has done. In retrospect you can see what amazing things God has done. He has displayed great power and control in your life.
  1. See God’s power in small things. The fact that you are a believer is an immensely powerful act of God in your life. There are also so many small areas that we take for granted that display God’s power over us and creation.
  1. Have an active, organized, and documented prayer life. Typical answers people give when asked if they pray are, “I pray when I’m driving” or “I am just talking out loud to God all the time.” This is not a life of prayer. This is equivalent to me calling my mom when I’m driving to work: “Hey, I was thinking about you, so I called.” This is not sinful, but also not effective. When we have a planned prayer life, we talk to God consistently, and we bring our requests and desires to him. This allows us to see the power of answered prayer! Answered prayer is how we see God’s power at work!

Help your family develop these ways to see God’s power.

Pray Together

  1. Pray that God allows you to see His power through prayer and His guidance in your life.
  2. Pray that God will create an opportunity for a Gospel conversation this week.
  3. Pray that God will develop in you a heart of prayer and dependence on Him.

Further Reading

  • I Kings 18
Posted by Rob Fipps with