September 16-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
1 Kings 18:30, Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.†They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down.
Observe what it is saying.
Last week’s episode saw the prophets of Baal fail at getting their god’s attention. Despite their shouting and many antics, there was no response from their fake god. This week’s episode features Elijah preparing to get the Lord’s attention. The first thing he did was to repair the altar of the Lord that had been torn down. I had been intentionally destroyed. It did not just slip into disrepair. No one bothered to repair it until Elijah came along. This gives us another indication of their spiritual nature because true altars are where authentic worship takes place. As the people’s worship went so did their behavior, so did their community, so did their nation. Do you see any resemblances to our current culture?
Relate it to your life.
The quality of my personal and community life depends on the altar where I bow to worship.
Do something.
“Father, may the worship of my heart be fully focused on loving and serving You. Amen.â€
September 17-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
1 Kings 18:31-35, 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.
Observe what it is saying.
Elijah was very deliberate in how he repaired the altar. In choose the 12 stones, he was reminding them of their spiritual forefathers. He connected them back to the long history of God’s work among them as His people. He didn’t just build an altar; he built an altar in the name of the Lord. He made it clear from the very beginning that he was calling on the one true Lord who had created and called them to be His people. The sacrifice upon the altar would be different from the pagans’ offering. They couldn’t get fire to consume their simple sacrifice. Elijah increased the the challenge for his own God by drenching it with water to make it humanly impossible to ignite. Elijah was all-in in making this a totally supernatural event.
Relate it to your life.
True faith goes all-in as we worship and serve the Lord.
Do something.
“Father, give me such a sold-out faith that refuses to hold back but puts my absolute trust in You. Amen.â€
September 18-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
1 Kings 18:36, At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the 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.
Observe what it is saying.
As an act of faith, Elijah stepped forward. He refused to back down. He was not intimidated by all the false prophets who had already failed miserably and the people who were following in their false worship. His prayer called upon the Lord that connected God to their history as a people. He made the specific request that God would make it clear that very day that he was the one and only God in Israel. He also wanted the added benefit that he would be vindicated before the people so they’d know he was a true servant of the Lord who had been obedient to God’s command. This showdown wasn’t his idea, but had come straight from heaven. God was using Elijah to reveal His glory to the nation.
Relate it to your life.
Effective prayer asks God to act in specific ways so we know when the answer comes.
Do something.
“Father, give me such faith that asks You to act in my life and world according to Your will. Amen.â€
September 19-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
1 Kings 18:37, Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.â€
Observe what it is saying.
Elijah’s prayer continued. Again, he asks again that God would answer his prayer so that the people would know that Yahweh is the one true God. The One who had revealed Himself throughout the ages and created the Israelites as a special nation for the purpose of being a witness to the world is the God that Elijah was calling on. Not only did he ask for them to know who their God is but also to understand that God was working to turn their hearts back to Him. Even though the people had turned away and run after other gods, God wanted His people back. He wanted their hearts. He wanted the deepest part of their being to be in love with Him and to obediently follow His word. This is the love of God that keeps reaching out to win us back so we can live the best possible life as we walk in the ways that He knows are most beneficial for us.
Relate it to your life.
God refuses to give up on me even when I have turned away from Him.
Do something.
“Father, thank You that You keep working to turn my heart back to You when I have gone astray. Amen.â€
September 20-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
1 Kings 18:38-39, 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!â€
Observe what it is saying.
Elijah’s prayer was answered in dramatic fashion! Fire fell from heaven and consumed the drenched sacrifice including everything else that was not naturally consumable. As we said before, fire represents the holy presence of the Lord. When the fire falls, you know the Lord has come. The Lord made Himself recognized in such a way that there was no other explanation for what had occurred. People often try to explain away the mighty acts of God. However, this miracle was undeniable, and it created the desired effect that Elijah prayed. The people fell to their faces in worship declaring that Yahweh is the one true God. The fire fell and revival came. May it be so among us. May we experience the fire of heaven and fall down in worship declaring that Jesus is Savior and Lord.
Relate it to your life.
God continually reveals His glory so that we will worship and declare Jesus Lord over all.
Do something.
“Father, let the fire fall so that I will be spiritually revived and worship You alone. Amen.â€
September 21-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
1 Kings 18:40-41, Then Elijah commanded them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!†They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there. And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.â€
Observe what it is saying.
After the fire fell and consumed the sacrifice, it was time for judgment to come to the evil that filled the land led by the Baal prophets. They were seized and slaughtered. This gives us an undeniable view of what God thinks of evil and those who lead others to worship false gods. There is a time for grace, and there is a time for judgment. Grace has been extended to us through Jesus Christ to receive the gift of redemption and enter into eternal life. One day severe judgment will come to those who have rejected Christ’s offer. The second result of God’s victory over the pagan prophets was that Elijah predicted rain was coming to break the drought. Interestingly, after he made this prophetic promise, he put himself in a fetal position of prayer waiting for the rain to come. He declared the rain by faith, not by sight.
Relate it to your life.
Grace and judgment are both acts of God at appropriate times towards His wayward people.
Do something.
“Father, thank you for your generous supply of grace that can keep me from judgment. Amen.â€
Write out the Scripture.
1 Kings 18:30, Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.†They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down.
Observe what it is saying.
Last week’s episode saw the prophets of Baal fail at getting their god’s attention. Despite their shouting and many antics, there was no response from their fake god. This week’s episode features Elijah preparing to get the Lord’s attention. The first thing he did was to repair the altar of the Lord that had been torn down. I had been intentionally destroyed. It did not just slip into disrepair. No one bothered to repair it until Elijah came along. This gives us another indication of their spiritual nature because true altars are where authentic worship takes place. As the people’s worship went so did their behavior, so did their community, so did their nation. Do you see any resemblances to our current culture?
Relate it to your life.
The quality of my personal and community life depends on the altar where I bow to worship.
Do something.
“Father, may the worship of my heart be fully focused on loving and serving You. Amen.â€
September 17-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
1 Kings 18:31-35, 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.
Observe what it is saying.
Elijah was very deliberate in how he repaired the altar. In choose the 12 stones, he was reminding them of their spiritual forefathers. He connected them back to the long history of God’s work among them as His people. He didn’t just build an altar; he built an altar in the name of the Lord. He made it clear from the very beginning that he was calling on the one true Lord who had created and called them to be His people. The sacrifice upon the altar would be different from the pagans’ offering. They couldn’t get fire to consume their simple sacrifice. Elijah increased the the challenge for his own God by drenching it with water to make it humanly impossible to ignite. Elijah was all-in in making this a totally supernatural event.
Relate it to your life.
True faith goes all-in as we worship and serve the Lord.
Do something.
“Father, give me such a sold-out faith that refuses to hold back but puts my absolute trust in You. Amen.â€
September 18-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
1 Kings 18:36, At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the 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.
Observe what it is saying.
As an act of faith, Elijah stepped forward. He refused to back down. He was not intimidated by all the false prophets who had already failed miserably and the people who were following in their false worship. His prayer called upon the Lord that connected God to their history as a people. He made the specific request that God would make it clear that very day that he was the one and only God in Israel. He also wanted the added benefit that he would be vindicated before the people so they’d know he was a true servant of the Lord who had been obedient to God’s command. This showdown wasn’t his idea, but had come straight from heaven. God was using Elijah to reveal His glory to the nation.
Relate it to your life.
Effective prayer asks God to act in specific ways so we know when the answer comes.
Do something.
“Father, give me such faith that asks You to act in my life and world according to Your will. Amen.â€
September 19-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
1 Kings 18:37, Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.â€
Observe what it is saying.
Elijah’s prayer continued. Again, he asks again that God would answer his prayer so that the people would know that Yahweh is the one true God. The One who had revealed Himself throughout the ages and created the Israelites as a special nation for the purpose of being a witness to the world is the God that Elijah was calling on. Not only did he ask for them to know who their God is but also to understand that God was working to turn their hearts back to Him. Even though the people had turned away and run after other gods, God wanted His people back. He wanted their hearts. He wanted the deepest part of their being to be in love with Him and to obediently follow His word. This is the love of God that keeps reaching out to win us back so we can live the best possible life as we walk in the ways that He knows are most beneficial for us.
Relate it to your life.
God refuses to give up on me even when I have turned away from Him.
Do something.
“Father, thank You that You keep working to turn my heart back to You when I have gone astray. Amen.â€
September 20-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
1 Kings 18:38-39, 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!â€
Observe what it is saying.
Elijah’s prayer was answered in dramatic fashion! Fire fell from heaven and consumed the drenched sacrifice including everything else that was not naturally consumable. As we said before, fire represents the holy presence of the Lord. When the fire falls, you know the Lord has come. The Lord made Himself recognized in such a way that there was no other explanation for what had occurred. People often try to explain away the mighty acts of God. However, this miracle was undeniable, and it created the desired effect that Elijah prayed. The people fell to their faces in worship declaring that Yahweh is the one true God. The fire fell and revival came. May it be so among us. May we experience the fire of heaven and fall down in worship declaring that Jesus is Savior and Lord.
Relate it to your life.
God continually reveals His glory so that we will worship and declare Jesus Lord over all.
Do something.
“Father, let the fire fall so that I will be spiritually revived and worship You alone. Amen.â€
September 21-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
1 Kings 18:40-41, Then Elijah commanded them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!†They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there. And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.â€
Observe what it is saying.
After the fire fell and consumed the sacrifice, it was time for judgment to come to the evil that filled the land led by the Baal prophets. They were seized and slaughtered. This gives us an undeniable view of what God thinks of evil and those who lead others to worship false gods. There is a time for grace, and there is a time for judgment. Grace has been extended to us through Jesus Christ to receive the gift of redemption and enter into eternal life. One day severe judgment will come to those who have rejected Christ’s offer. The second result of God’s victory over the pagan prophets was that Elijah predicted rain was coming to break the drought. Interestingly, after he made this prophetic promise, he put himself in a fetal position of prayer waiting for the rain to come. He declared the rain by faith, not by sight.
Relate it to your life.
Grace and judgment are both acts of God at appropriate times towards His wayward people.
Do something.
“Father, thank you for your generous supply of grace that can keep me from judgment. Amen.â€
Posted in Daily Devotionals