The Lord Is God (1 Kings 18:20-46)

Key Verse 18:21 “Elijah went before the people and said, ‘How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.’”

When I was little, I learned about this story through a children’s Bible cartoon. It seemed more dramatic than how it was described in the passage, bit it taught me early on that there is no other god beside God. Elijah had asked to assemble all the prophets on Mount Carmel. He challenged the people by asking them in verse 21, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” The people couldn’t decide which god to follow. They must have gone back and forth between the two. Elijah wanted to put an end to this and make them decide to follow the right one. He asked the Baal prophets to set up an altar, where they would sacrifice a bull, and he would set up another altar to offer a bull to his god. They were both not allowed to light their offering, but instead they had to pray and wait for God or Baal to set it on fire. The prophets agreed and build their altar and prayed, sang, cut themselves, and danced. However, in verse 29b we are told, “But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.” All the prophets’ efforts were in vain. Baal did not set their sacrifice on fire, so Elijah directed the people’s attention toward him and the altar he build for the Lord. He put the wood and bull on it, and asked some people to pour water over the offering three times, which even filled the trench he had put around the altar. We all know that it is impossible to light wet wood. The people who were with Elijah must have thought he was crazy. Elijah continued and asked God to reveal himself to the people and show them that He is God. Of course, God set the sacrifice, wood, stones, and soil on fire, and He also dried up the trench. Verse 39 shows how the people responded to this, “When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, ‘The Lord – he is God! The Lord – he is God!’” What else could they have said? God had just clearly revealed Himself and His power to them. Now there was no doubt that the Lord is God. This is not the end of the story. Besides showing the people who He is, God ended the famine in the land by bringing rain, which they hadn’t had for three years. God ended the drought after the people turned back to him. The relationship between God and His people was restored.
These days it is not always easy to know which way to go and see that God is really there. It can be a struggle to believe at times because there are so many other things and people telling us that they are right and know better. However, God may not reveal Himself in form of a fire but through His word and through people around us and events that happen in our lives. Often, when I am not sure if God s there or if the path I am going is the right one, God shows me and assures me that He is there and is leading me His way. Then I have no doubt that He is God and can do all things, even set wood drenched in water on fire.

Hear From Heaven and Forgive

Today’s passage in the Daily Bread was about Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the new temple for God. In verses 23 through 26 Solomon reminds God of the promise He had made to David. It says in verse 25b, “You shall never fail to have a successor to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful in all they do to walk before me faithfully as you have done.” Solomon was grateful for God’s love and commitment to His people. He knew that Israel was blessed as long as it walked with God. He also knew, though, that the temple was a very small and simple place to contain a god as faithful, great, and powerful as this. The temple was built as a place for God’s name for God and a place for the people to come to God for anything.
In verses 28 through 40, Solomon asks God to hear his people’s prayer in many different situations. He asks God to have His eyes on the temple day and night (29). Nothing is supposed to slip God’s ear, no little prayer, request, or cry. Solomon knows that humans are sinful. He tells God to hear and forgive four times. Solomon was petitioning for his people that God would have mercy on them in time of sin and defeat when they would turn to God and pray. The temple was not just a place of worship, but it was also meant to remind the people that God was there and listened to their every need. Beside hearing and forgiving, Solomon asks God to act. He says in verses 39c and 40, “Deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know their hearts (for you alone know every human heart), so that they will fear you all the time they live in the land you gave our ancestors.” The people needed to fear the Lord. They had to realize that they could not just do what they wanted.
Does this still apply to us? I would have to say yes. God sent Jesus to save and free us from sin, and he even opened the Most Holy Place for everyone to enter to show that we were reconciled with God. Nothing stands between God and us. He dwelled among us in Jesus and now in the Holy Spirit, which means He is everywhere. He is not bound to a temple or church. When we want to pray, we can do that in our room, at the store, in the car, or at work. Verse 29 still applies to us. God has His eyes on each one of us, as we are His temple. He is watching us day and night and is ready to hear from us at any time. God also hears us and has already forgiven us through Jesus death and resurrection. In much sense, we have it much easier than the Israelites did at Solomon’s time. We should make use of this privilege as often as possible. We do not need to be in church to pray, as I said we can pray anywhere we want because God is where we are.
I am grateful that I can come to God at any time and in any place because I would not want to have to wait to go to church to pray there. When I have done something wrong and I realize that, I want to ask for forgiveness right away and not carry that burden and guilt around with me. God knows how weak I am and has made it possible for me to be free from that guilt on the spot only because He gave His only son for me.

"Better Than I" from Joseph King of Dreams

God Knows "Better Than I"

Last week we studied John 11:1-16. Verses 4 through 6 were the most interesting to me. To someone who reads this passage for the first time it must be very confusing. I even wonder every time, “Why did Jesus do what he did? Why didn’t he go to Lazarus right away?” The answer is in verse 4, where it says, “When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”" The verses I find even more interesting are 5 and 6. Jesus had just found out that his friend Lazarus was very sick, and he knew what was going to happen. Instead of leaving everything and running to his friends to help them, Jesus stayed where he was. Verses 5 and 6 say, "Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days." If I had written the story it would have sounded more like this, "Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. SO he left everything and ran as fast as he could to help his friend.” It makes more sense that way, right? However, this is my way not God’s way. In verse 4 it clearly says that this sickness would not end in death but would glorify God. God knows why he does the things he does and why he does it that way. He has a plan. There is a saying and TV show called “father knows best.” We can apply this to God. He knows best, not just better but best. He knows everything.
I often don’t realize how much I limit God. I often think that He can’t do this or that or something that is out of my reach is impossible to receive, but I have learned many times that it is not. At the beginning of this semester I had some issues with financial aid and was frustrated because the promised money didn’t come in on time. I had to pay a 5% fine on the overdue tuition. One half had been covered by a scholarship, but the other half still needed to be paid. Of course I didn’t have $2100 to balance my account, and I literally didn’t know what to do. A week after this happened I checked my financial aid account again and had received four grant and loan offers for this school year. The total amount offered, including my scholarship, was  about $23,000. (On a side note, I am 24 now, so technically my parents can’t file me in their taxes, so I have to be independent.) When I saw that, my jaw dropped. I simply hadn’t expected anything like that. I hadn’t prayed for money but just a way to be able to pay the rest of my tuition. This was an unexpected answer to my worries and prayer beyond what I had in mind. Now I don’t have to worry about money for a while. God knew my trouble and looked farther ahead than I ever could have. He took care of me for the future. God knows BEST.
In my story verses 5 and 6 would sound like this, “Now Jesus loved Johanna. So when he heard she was worried and troubled he waited one more week.” In the Bible Lazarus did die and his sisters were devastated and even mad at Jesus. He taught them, though, that it was for a greater good. There was a reason behind his actions. He gave them the greatest miracle. He raised Lazarus from the dead, and he was perfectly healthy and normal again. So for me this means things won’t always/never go my way because I am only nearsighted and can’t see beyond the now.

Beautiful Fall

Niagara Falls

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

The importance of God's word

Reading God’s word and praying first thing in the morning has changed me a lot. It makes a difference in how I go about my day especially since my days are pretty uneventful. God’s word somehow allows me to be fine with the quiet and uneventful days I am living right now, usually I would get annoyed when my days were like that. I should be thankful for these days because they allow me to rest and prepare for days that may be overwhelming and overloaded with things to do. The busier days are going to come soon which is great because not doing much makes me lazy. Studying the Bible several times a week also strengthens me. Going to group Bible study and the Genesis Bible Academy is very refreshing. At the beginning of the summer I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to go to the GBA but once I went I wanted to go every time. However, it also coincides with my group Bible study which I am bummed about. I decided, though, that it is also important if I attend that meeting because it prepares me for Sunday Worship Service. Either way, I receive God’s word, so it doesn’t matter where I go.

This kind of ties to my post on Prayer and to the topic on Love and Service which I will be talking about at YDJ in two weeks.

My take from this: Life is not all about me. Love needs action and prayer.

Prayer

At YDJ we talked about prayer today. Our theme this semester is Fellowship and attributes of it. Prayer is something I am lacking in. It is not like I am not doing it but it is not my priority either. I do a quick prayer in the morning and evening, at least sometimes. I realized, however, that I don’t do as well when I don’t pray. Jesus taught his disciples the importance of prayer, though, through the Lord’s Prayer. It is a simple prayer but it contains and says everything I would need to say to God. This prayer is more for myself. At YDJ I learned though that prayer for others should be an essential part of my life. 1 Samuel 12:23 says, “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.” WOW! Not praying for others clearly is a sin. Until today I didn’t know this. I always thought praying for others is important but I wasn’t aware that not doing so would be a sin.
When I notice that someone is not doing well I try my best to remember them in my prayers, but I often pray for them once or twice and then stop for no particular reason. Isaiah 62:6 and 7 says, I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest,and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.” The bold part is important. And ties to what I said before. I give up or stop praying, but I am told to give myself and God no rest until he hears me if he wants to hear me. During our meeting someone talked about Daniel who fasted and prayed for days and weeks until Gabriel appeared to him and told him that if he hadn’t continued praying he couldn’t have come because the angels were in a battle with evil and couldn’t have come earlier. That is an amazing story, and it comes to show how powerful prayer can be. The prayer we talked about in our meeting was more focused on praying together as a group, but a lot of what  we talked about is very relevant to my personal prayer life.