Verse of the Day 5/7

Through the Bible - 1 Kings 17-18, John 2

 

Good morning,

I had another verse planned for today, but in reading 1 Kings 18 this morning I changed my mind.

 

Today is the National Day of Prayer.  People across the nation will be praying to the Lord God as well as other gods.  For today's verse we'll go to 1 Kings 18 where Elijah had called the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah (v.19) to pray for their gods to send down fire from heaven.  Elijah proceeded to make preparations for a  sacrifice.

 

After the pagan prophets had been praying all day to no avail, Elijah offered up the following prayer.

1 Kings 18:36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again."   NIV

Couldn't, shouldn't that be our prayer today for this nation, that Jesus is Lord, He is God, and that he'd turn this nations' hearts back again?

 

The NLT Life Application Bible notes, "Just as God flashed the fire from heaven for Elijah, He will help us accomplish what He commands us to do.  The proof may not be as dramatic in our life as Elijah's, but God will make resources available to us in creative ways to accomplish his purposes.  He will give us the wisdom to raise a family, the courage to take a stand for truth, or the means to provide for someone in need.  Like Elijah, we can have faith that, whatever God commands us to do, He will provide what we need to carry it through."

 

I would ask you to take time to pray for our nation, for it's leaders today, that they would listen to God's call, turn to Him that He might heal our land.

 

Some will be praying in private today.  Others, like Elijah, will pray publicly, around flagpoles in front of schools and churches, praying for our nation.  Whether it is in public or private, will you pray?

 

In Christ,
Mike

mikevw@bellsouth.net
More tools available at: http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

1 Kings 18:25-40

 

25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire." 26 So they took the bull given them and prepared it.

 

Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. "O Baal, answer us!" they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.

 

27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. "Shout louder!" he said. "Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened." 28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.

 

30 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come here to me." They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which was in ruins. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, "Your name shall be Israel." 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs  of seed. 33 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 on the wood."

 

34 "Do it again," he said, and they did it again.

 

"Do it a third time," he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.

 

36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again."

 

38 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.

 

39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The Lord-he is God! The Lord-he is God!"

 

NIV