The God Who Answers By Fire

When preparing for a bonfire, most people start by gathering dry wood, paper, and kindling sticks before throwing a match into the fire pit.  But not Elijah. In 1 Kings 18:20-40, he drenched the wood with water and didn’t intend to use a match to ignite it. The only match was the one he was in with Ahab on Mount Carmel to see whose God would answer by fire. Verse 24 says “Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God….”

Ahab went first and called on the name of his god Baal all day until the evening, but nothing happened, not even a spark.  (1 Kings 18:26). 

Now it was Elijah’s turn to call on the name of his Lord. 1 Kings 18:36b-37 says “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.” 

God heard Elijah’s cry out to Him and answered him.  1 Kings 18:38 says “Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.”   Verse 39 goes on to say “Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord He is God!”

God wants to manifest in our lives, not so we get the glory, but so others will see that He is Lord. Elijah’s firepit drenched in water looked like the least likely to succeed until God’s fire hit it. 

How about us? If we are “drenched” in adverse circumstances, just remember, this is setting God up to show Himself strong on our behalf.  Trust Him.  He will answer.