< 1 Kings 18 >

At the end of three and a half years God sent Elijah to king Ahab to inform him that the rain would return and the famine end.v.11 Kings 18:1XWaiting for response When Ahab met Elijah, he accused him of being the cause of Israel’s suffering even though his own wickedness had brought the famine upon the land.vs.17-181 Kings 18:17-18XWaiting for response The LORD was going to send rain but first Elijah would demonstrate to Israel that YAHWEH is the true God. He therefore issued a challenge to Ahab and the prophets of Baal resulting in he, Ahab, four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and many people of Israel meeting at the top of Mount Carmel.

Elijah invited the prophets of Baal to call upon their god to demonstrate he existed by bringing fire on the sacrifices. The prophets of Baal spent all day calling upon their god to no avail, and then Elijah called upon the LORD. First of all, water was brought up from the sea to drench the sacrifices and then Elijah, eschewing all the wild excesses of the false prophets, made a quiet and simple request to the LORD. The result was immediate: fire came down from heaven and devoured the sacrifices and licked up all the water. There was therefore no doubt that the LORD (YAHWEH), not Baal, was the true God, and all the people cried: “YAHWEH, he is the God, YAHWEH, he is the God”, and slaughtered all the prophets of Baal who had deceived the nation and brought calamity upon them.

It should be noted that such a demonstration would not work today. This is because we live in a different dispensation when there is no open vision and no-one has the Holy Spirit, as Elijah had. Furthermore, Elijah was specifically told to conduct this demonstration by God v.361 Kings 18:36XWaiting for response and because he obeyed the LORD responded to his prayer on the principle that always applies: “If we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us”.1 John 5:141 John 5:14XWaiting for response God had also told Elijah he was going to send rain on the earth, but Elijah still prayed for it to happen. James 5:18James 5:18XWaiting for response God tells us in his word what he is going to do, e.g. send Jesus to the earth, re-establish his kingdom in the land, raise the dead and give life to the faithful, and establish righteousness and peace in the earth, but he still requires us to pray for these things to happen. Matthew 6:9-13Matthew 6:9-13XWaiting for response