TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.” (1 Kings 18:39 ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• There is no substitute for our all-powerful, all-knowing, loving, and living God. Nothing else will ever measure up. When we look for answers anywhere other than Jesus, we’ll always fall short of what we need.
Let’s start with the need we universally share and most need: salvation. He told us in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” And Peter reiterated that truth in Acts 4:12, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Hopefully, you’re already saved, but let’s look at other areas of our life. Even Christians fail to take everything to Jesus. Everything in our lives—EVERYTHING!!!—should include Jesus. Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” I don’t read any exceptions in that Proverb.
And what is one of the best illustrations of all things will fall short of God’s glory is found in 1 Kings 18 when Elijah challenged the prophets of the false god, Baal. Honestly y’all, this event needs a kick-off by Michael Buffer, “Let’s get ready to rumble!” Because Baal’s prophets are in for a smackdown.
Elijah challenged them to have their god send fire for their burnt offering. In 1 Kings 18:24, Elijah said, “‘And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.’ And all the people answered, ‘It is well spoken.’” Y’all, Baal’s guys about wore themselves out pleading with their god to send fire. They cried, screamed, and cut themselves for hours to no avail. The fire never came.
When it was Elijah’s turn, he decided to show those people how powerful God really is. Y’all, he turned it up to 11, and doused the offering with water three times before he called on God to consume the offering with fire. I love his bold prayer in verses 36-37. There was no hesitancy. There was no, “C’mon, God, don’t let me down because I’ll look like a real idiot if you don’t send fire right now.” Instead, he prayed, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back” (1 Kings 18:36-37).
Verse 38 says, “Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.” And the crowd goes wild! Not really… they were humbled. Verse 39 says, “And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, ‘The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.’”
They saw for themselves that Baal was a cheap imitation that could never live up to the Almighty God.
There are a lot of lessons in this passage, but the one to focus on is right now, as we continue to deal with fears, job loss, supply shortages, etc., there is one God. We serve an all-powerful God who is bigger than all of this. We cannot let anything overshadow our need for Him! If we do, we’ll be left disappointed every time. God alone is the answer we’re looking for. In the midst of all our troubles… from boredom to serious issues like health concerns and job loss, let us brag about our God. He is bigger than all we face. And there is no substitution for His greatness.
Today, as you pray, thank God for His greatness! Ask the Holy Spirit to help you lean on Him and know that nothing else can measure up to our God who saves us and loves us!
SHARING ••• Please share with others! Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. ***Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
