Time For A Reminder

Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God. —1 Kings 18:38-39

AI, ChatGPT, humanoid robots, space travel…so much new technology and advancement is hitting fast and hard, reshaping how we live, think, and engage with the world around us. And although it has some positive application, I grow concerned that in this surge forward, people are placing more faith in human progress than in Almighty God. Bit by bit, almost without noticing, society is drifting in the direction that Biblical prophecy warned us about, worshipping a system rather than the Creator, trading the awe of God for the marvels of our own making.

In An Instant

Every once in a while we need a reminder of who God is! A reminder of His majesty and power—so we don’t get too big for our britches. I’m talking like an Elijah moment, fire from heaven kind of reminder.

In 1 Kings chapter 18, we find Elijah standing on Mount Carmel to confront the prophets of Baal, a false god that the people of Israel were worshipping. They had turned their hearts away from the Lord and fallen deep into idolatry. Under the influence of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel, Baal worship had spread throughout the land. Elijah the prophet was sent by God to call the nation back to repentance, and back to the worship of the Lord. He challenged the people, and their false prophets, to a public showdown on Mount Carmel. The goal was simple: to prove once and for all who the true God was. Elijah proposed that both he and the prophets of Baal prepare sacrifices without lighting the fire. They would each call on their god, and the one who answered by fire would be shown to be the true God.

The prophets of Baal shouted and danced in vain…nothing. They even cut themselves, as was custom…nothing. After crying out all afternoon and hearing no answer from Baal, it was now Elijah’s turn to call on the God of Israel. He simply prayed, and fire fell from heaven:

Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again. —1 Kings 18:36-37

In an instant, the people were reminded that God Almighty is still in power! When they saw the fire, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”

Fire From Heaven

We are in desperate need of another “in an instant” moment in our day. A moment that causes us to fall on our faces in awestruck fear and wonder and proclaim: The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God! Because, as the world advances, I believe our faith will be tested like never before. Will we be able to discern the false from the true, or will we fall prey like the Israelites did and find ourselves on the wrong side of God?

Let’s pray that we stand with the unshakable faith of Elijah, a faith that doesn’t waver in the face of a crowd, and faith that dares to stand alone on a mountain and call on the name of the Lord. And let’s pray that when we do, He sends a reminder from heaven that shows the world — I AM WHO I AM! (Ex. 3:14). Let us pray the prayer of Elijah:

Lord, let it be known today that thou art God, and….(you fill in the rest).

SONG - Days of Elijah

God Bless You,

Carole