making a scene

1 Kings 16-18

^18:36 At the usual time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, "O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. ³⁷ O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself."

 ³⁸ Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! ³⁹And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, "The Lord—he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!"

One of the things I learned this morning was that the Baal was supposedly a god of the weather, so this showdown was a direct negative- and positive-proof for Baal and Yahweh, respectively.  I wonder what "Baals" we worship today without even realizing it.  What do we put so much time, effort, and money in, thinking that it will bring us some sort of satisfaction?

I wish the Lord would do something amazing in our congregation or Bible Life group to get our attention.  For instance, there are several people in our congregation who are chronically ill; what if He miraculously healed them?  What if people in our congregation actually got together in corporate prayer and begged the Lord to interrupt our hamster-wheel lives with the outpouring of His Holy Spirit?

Heavenly Father, you are the one true God!  You are Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  But, I confess that my flesh worships things of this world.  Please forgive me.  May my mind be set clearly on your Word and your Spirit.  I want to follow you wholeheartedly, and I want to lead others to follow you only.  Lord, may my life be overflowing with your Word, and may your power be evident in my life so that others will see you, believe in your Son Jesus, and live the life of Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.  I pray in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.