“With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold about 15 litres of seed . He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and the wood.” “Do it again” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time he ordered, and they did it the third time. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench…..
….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…
…Meanwhile the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on…
I Kings 18:32-35, 38,45
God had brought a drought upon the land to draw people back to Him, and now He was about to bring it to an end. The people assembled on Mount Carmel and Elijah had challenged the prophets of Baal to prove who was the true God by offering a sacrifice and asking God to answer by fire. People thought this was a good plan and watched the event unfold. The prophets of Baal had no success and now Elijah prepared his sacrifice, building an altar and laying the dead bull on it. Then he drew the people into this act of worship by asking them to pour water onto the wood.
We understand this would make the miracle even more amazing, but do we stop to think how people may have reacted to this strange request. They must have had very limited supplies of water after so long a drought and now this crazy prophet was asking them to give what they had left to pour it on the ground. Was this a desperate act or confidence in Elijah as God’s mouthpiece, after all he had predicted the drought. They had to really believe something would happen, they would be risking everything, their chance of survival, trusting that God would accept their offering and send rain in response.
They did as he asked, and then they did it again a second time. Maybe they all had to contribute from their meagre supplies, perhaps a jar each, or even a cupful. Perhaps it was all they had for themselves and their family . Then he asked a third time, was their faith growing, or was panic setting in? Was this too much to ask? They had come this far and there was no going back, or the water already given had been for nothing. The tension must have been tangible in the air as people held their breath and watched to see if God would send the fire.
Previously in chapter 17 we read of Elijah asking a widow to give of her last meal, feeding him first before she and her son ate. She did as he asked with her last handful of flour and trickle of oil. She believed that God would do as the prophet said and that the flour and oil would not run out before the rain came. She gave the last of her resources in faith, risking all on the promise.
Sometimes God calls us to believe despite the circumstances, despite unanswered prayer, despite our emotions screaming out within us “enough!”. He asks us to pray and not lose heart, to keep asking, seeking, knocking, until the answer comes. Do we give up just before the breakthrough, losing all that we invested so far, or keep on until God answers with His fire and His rain?
God did answer Elijah and because the people added their contribution, they too were part of the miracle. They were awestruck, as the fire fell so did they, on their faces before God. They cried “The Lord – he is God!”. At this point there was not one drop of rain, they didn’t even question the possibility. They had seen the reality of God’s power and had trembled. The fear of the Lord gripped them. They gave their tiny offering and received God’s abundant supply.
We are called to lay our lives upon the altar as a living sacrifice and drench them with the living water from within us as our offering. We call for fire from heaven to consume us and wait for His response. In times of drought, when we don’t feel His presence and our prayers seem to hit the ceiling, we pour out our last drop of spiritual energy to touch His heart with our love and faithfulness. We dare to believe that our small offering with be precious to God and that this “drop in the ocean” will not go unseen or unrewarded by Him. We risk wasting our resources, our time, our love, our very lives in worship believing that He who promised is faithful. When we do it publicly we risk ridicule, even by other Christians. We do it again and again until, like Elijah, we see the fire fall and know the rain will surely follow.
