"Getting God's Attention"
June 13/04 1Kings 18.16-46
Prayer Answered...Eventually
Prayer is a mystery. It's not naturally explainable; since God is a Spirit and thus invisible, and has created us with an invisible spiritual component, you can't see the communication going back and forth. It's not a simple matter of cause and effect, of putting your coin in the machine and getting out your goodie. Pagan religion supposes we can induce gods to undertake for us by the costliness and ardour of our appeals. But the Bible reveals a God of grace who is near to those who call on Him; He responds in a way that is for our long-term good and consistent with His sovereign and wise purposes for humanity. His Word offers guidance so we may understand how best to approach Him, on His terms.
God's ways are higher than our ways, so answers to prayer may not come right away or with the result we expect. In The Crossings Circle of Prayer journal, Gerald Sittser tells of a sermon preached by Bob Mitchell, a former president of Young Life (the youth outreach ministry our son-in-law works with in Edmonton). In the sermon Bob Mitchell quoted from a letter he received in May 1955. It was from Jim Eliot, who had recently moved to Ecuador with his young wife and baby daughter to pioneer a new missionary outreach program to the Auca Indians. The Aucas lived in a remote area and were considered hostile to outsiders. Eliot expressed gladness that 'the gospel is creeping a little farther out into this big no-man's land of Amazonia.' He also mentioned a mutual friend and partner in ministry, Ed, who had already left to make contact with the tribe. With a sense of both excitement and foreboding, Eliot charged Bob to pray for them, especially for Ed. He wrote, "There are rumours that the same tribe is scouting around there now so don't forget to pray for Ed -- that the Lord will keep him alive as well as make him effective in declaring the truth about Christ."
Bob didn't forget to pray for his friends. He prayed for their protection and for the success of their ministry. But several months later those courageous friends - Ed, Jim, and three others - were murdered by members of the very tribe they wanted to reach. Bob's prayer seemed to go unanswered. Years passed.
But that's not the end of the story. Years later, Bob was attending an international conference for evangelism in Europe. He just happened to meed an old friend, who introduced Bob to a South American evangelist. This evangelist turned out to be none other than one of the Auca Indians who had murdered the five missionaries -- including Jim Eliot, who had written that letter to Bob, asking him to pray for their protection and success. Bob suddenly realized that his prayer had been mysteriously answered. The Auca Indians had become Christians; the proof was standing right before his eyes.
Our Old Testament passage is a lesson in the school of prayer with a distinguished teacher: Elijah. James, the Lord's brother, writes in his New Testament letter (5:16b-18), "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." Today we're going to get some tips from Elijah on 'getting God's attention' in the right way -- not with clamour or demand for our own gratification, but trustingly and on His terms.
Exclusivity
About three years earlier, Elijah had prophesied to Ahab, the king of Israel, that there would be a drought. This was a challenge to the worship of Baal that had been introduced by Ahab's marriage to Jezebel, daughter of the king of Sidon. Jezebel proceeded to kill off many of the prophets of Yahweh; Elijah had gone into hiding as God directed him. The whole nation slipped back into Canaanite fertility religion; King Ahab had even built a temple for Baal. Jewish religion was being adulterated by the addition of foreign customs; people were mixing in the shrine prostitution, child sacrifice, and other foreign customs alongside their worship of Yahweh.
It's not a lot different today in Canada. Sociologist Reg Bibby in books like Fragmented Gods has noted how many Canadians take a "shopping cart" approach to religion: a dab of this, a smattering of that. Some folks go to church on Sunday, read their horoscope on Monday, work on their karate philosophy on Wednesday, and hit the slots on Friday -- without being really aware just how mis-matched their actions are. What about you? If a page from your past week's calendar were put up on the screen, is there anything you'd have cause to be embarrassed about?
Elijah challenges the double-mindedness, the "blended" approach to religion shown by Ahab and the nation. He confronts the king while he's out searching for green pasture for the horses required for the thousands of chariots in Israel's army. V17, Ahab labels Elijah a "troubler of Israel" - a charge of treason for Elijah's pronouncement that God wasn't going to let it rain. Elijah replies in v18 that it's Ahab who has really been the trouble-maker by abandoning the Lord's commands and following the Baals. Elijah proposes a challenge: there'd be a contest on the mountaintop, a showdown between the prophet of the Lord and the hundreds of government-funded prophets of Baal and Asherah.
Once people are gathered to Mount Carmel, Elijah challenges them in v21: "'How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.' [the account adds] But the people said nothing." The word "waver" comes literally from a Hebrew term to "dance" (hop, skip, leap over) as used 5 verses later when the prophets "danced around the altar". It's as if Elijah was saying, 'How much longer are you going to keep dancing with the devil, doing this fickle fox-trot, hell's hop-scotch? Make up your mind; it's one or the other, Yahweh or Baal, there's no in-between. They're not adaptable but incompatible. You've got to choose."
At the peak of Carmel, you can tell Elijah wasn't big on the "all roads lead to the same mountain-top" philosophy of religion. Israel's God was a loving but jealous God, demanding "you shall have no other gods before Me!" (Ex.20:3) Jesus warns the church to be hot or cold, not lukewarm, or He will spit us out of His mouth (Rev.3:16). Syncretism, a shopping-cart approach to religion, is devilish; to be Lord, God requires our complete and exclusive allegiance. Not the non-committal attitude of the people hearing Elijah "who said nothing".
When we approach the Lord in worship, we need to be 100% sold out, believing and fully committed, not doubting. James writes (1:6-8), "But [the person who asks] must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." The dance of doubt brings only a drought of effects in prayer. By contrast, Paul celebrates the faith and unwavering commitment of Abraham in Romans 4(20f) in the face of the inability of him and his aging wife to have children: "Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised." Prayer is not about our power or wisdom, but God's.
Audacity
Derek Mueller, president of Emmanuel Bible College in Kitchener, is a proponent of setting what he calls "big, hairy, audacious goals" in long-term planning. Prayer and faith are about what God can do, not us; so why do we try to operate just within human bounds? In vv23-24 Elijah proposes an outrageous, supernatural contest that shows real audacity - in a good way. Baal's Team and Yahweh's Team each prepare a bull for sacrifice, put it on the wood and - voila! No matches, they're not allowed to Tampa with the combustibles -- the team that gets the Flames wins! (we're not talking Stanley Cup here) After it's arranged, the prophet says, "'Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD.The god who answers by fire— he is God.'Then all the people said, "What you say is good." It seemed a contest well suited to the deities: Baal in myth, and Yahweh in Scripture, are both described as riding the thunderstorm as a chariot, using lightning as a weapon, and sounding thunder as a voice. Will the real God please stand up?
Notice how high the stakes are for Elijah. He's outnumbered 850 to 1. If God doesn't come through with fire from heaven, Elijah is "done for" because he proposed the contest in the first place (not to mention claiming responsibility for a deadly 3-year drought). His announcement shows true audacity, expecting from God what only God can do.
Jesus challenges His followers to pray big, to ask audaciously. He says in Lk.11(9), "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." Jn.16(24): "Until now you have not asked for anything in my name.Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete." And in Mark 11(23), "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him." Doesn't that smack a tad of audacity to you? Throwing mountains in the sea? Now that's a God-sized project!
I wonder if sometimes God and the angels get a little tired of our puny everyday prayers; they're just itching for something majestic to get their hands on and show what they can do. Where's the glory in doing what's ordinary? Evangelist John Rice wrote, "I once imagined I was in Heaven. Walking along with the Angel Gabriel I said, 'Gabe, what is that big building there?' 'You'll be disappointed,' he answered.'I don't think you want to see it.' But I insisted, and he showed me floor after floor of beautiful gifts, all wrapped and ready to be sent. 'Gabriel, what are all these?' He said, I thought rather sadly: 'We wrapped these things, but people never called for them.'"
Simplicity
The basic idea of pagan or works-oriented religion or magic is that by performing a certain action on a human level, you leverage your effect, persuading or influencing a god or higher power to accomplish some supernatural feat on your behalf. So when it was the Baal prophets' turn to offer their sacrifice, there was a great commotion which lasted all day. V26 says, "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." Later, verses 28-29 say "they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed...they continued their frantic prophesying" until evening. What a sight! What a frenzy, such noise, such gruesome pain! Yet what effect did it have? The text notes with threefold repetition, "But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention." Big performance but no outcome.
What did Elijah do when it was his turn? He made some basic preparations to construct the altar and put the bull on it. But then all that happened according to v36 is this: "At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed..." And that's it. No commotion, no fuss, just a simple straightforward prayer. God wants us to approach Him with simplicity, not in frantic self-injurious frenzy.
Jesus advised His followers not to put on a show or draw attention when praying, as did the hypocrites who prayed aloud on street corners to be seen by all. Instead, Mt.6(6f) says, "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." Jesus' idea of personal worship is a KISS: 'Keep It Simple, Saint'.
Proximity
When the Baal worshippers got no response for their efforts, Elijah began to taunt them. V27 he called out: "Shout louder! Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling.Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened." Some of this alludes to the "Baal myths" that formed part of the heresy. The basic thought behind Elijah's teasing is that the god is not available, far away looking after his own whims and not accessible to lowly humans.
Psalm 139(7-10) celebrates the Lord's nearness no matter where we may find ourselves: "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." God is proximate, near to us when we call on Him.
The reason Jesus came is so we could have fellowship with God, come right into His presence, accepted and unafraid. The blood flowing that makes this possible spilled from the cross when Jesus died, not from any gashing of ourselves. Eph.2(18f) says, "For through him [Jesus] we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household..." Not far off, but near, part of the family! Heb.4(16) invites us to "approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."
Identity
What is the basis upon which Elijah makes His appeal to God? Vv30-31 tell us he repairs the Lord's altar, taking "twelve stones, one for each of the tribes ascended from Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, 'Your name shall be Israel.'" The altar in Biblical religion is primarily a reminder of God's gift of covenant mercy and faithfulness to us; it's a means of expressing gratitude for grace received, not a device for trying to impress God or get our own way. The sacrifice on the altar, a symbol of all God's gifts, anticipates the Messiah's offering of Himself (that is, Jesus) in redemption of the lost. The number of stones, 12, recalls the identity of the Jewish tribes, who they are as people set apart and called by God's choice and naming. This must have smarted in the conscience of the 10 northern tribes watching Elijah, as they had split away from Judah years back - kind of like raising a Canadian flag in Quebec at the heart of the FLQ crisis. The altar points to Israel's covenant relationship with God, a reminder that He has called them into being for His own purpose.
So in prayer, we approach God not on our own merit but as His born-again children, belonging to Him through Jesus' atonement and the Spirit's regeneration. We pray "in His Name", that is, as authorized by Him, having His identity or signet ring graciously conferred on us. Jesus said (Jn.14:14), "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." Elsewhere He asked (Mt.7:9-11), "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" God answers prayer, not because we deserve it or have earned it, but because He sees in us His dearly loved Son -- that makes us His kids. Rom.8(32) asks rhetorically, "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all— how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" We can come to Him because of our identity as sons and daughters through faith; He is "Our Father".
Fidelity
I wouldn't have given Elijah high marks at Cub Camp for starting a fire. When you set up a camp fire, you scrounge around looking for the driest wood you can possibly find. When I make a campfire at home, I cheat and pour used motor oil on the wood to help it catch. But what did Elijah pour on? (vv33-35) Twelve large jars of water! So much that "the water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench."
Why did he do that? Because he didn't have some old 10W30? Certainly not because water was easy to get. Perhaps this demonstrated that Elijah was using no tricks, the people could trust him not to be doing anything unfair. It certainly reflects His faith: Elijah trusted that the dousing of extra water would not be any hindrance at all for God's fire to get through. He believed in Yahweh, whatever the other hundreds and thousands thought.
The Bible emphasizes that faith is essential in order to have a living relationship with God. Jesus said in Mt.21(22), "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." And Paul wrote to the Ephesians (3:12), "In him [Jesus] and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence." Trusting and relying solely on what Christ did for me is the only grounds I have for coming into God's presence with any request. Fidelity opens the door.
Unity
Listen carefully to the words Elijah uses in his short, crucial prayer (vv36-37): "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel [there's 'identity' again], 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. 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." Catch the theme? That God may become known to people. That's not only what Elijah wants; it's also what God wants. Elijah prays in unity with God's will; they share one common aim.
At least two Other Old Testament passages underline this as of key importance to God. Jer.31(34) prophesies, "No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD." That's God's purpose for people, to come to know Him, and have a living daily relationship with Him. Hab.2(14) states that "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." Coming to the New Testament, the first chapter of John's Gospel describes Jesus as "the Word" revealing God to us; "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known. (Jn.1:1,18) In Jn.17(3,26) Jesus defines eternal life as knowing God and Christ, and concludes His prayer, "I have made you known to them [the disciples], and will continue to make you known..."
So Elijah was right on target in praying for God to be made known to the people through sending fire. That's what God wanted too, the request was in unity with God's will. So in the Lord's Prayer Jesus reminded us to pray first of all for God's will to be done, His Kingdom or rule to have place in our lives. We need to be on board and in unity with God's agenda, not motivated by our individual desires.
Purity
After the fire or lightning falls and consumes the sacrifice, the water-soaked wood, and even the stones and the soil, all the people fall prostrate and cry (v39), "The LORD— he is God! The LORD— he is God!" Revival has begun; the Lord is turning their hearts back again. The contest on Mount Carmel marks an important historical turning point in the preservation of true religion for both the northern kingdom of Israel, and because of royal marriage alliances, for the southern kingdom of Judah as well.
You will recall that the stakes were very high - Elijah would likely have been killed if the test had failed. Now he orders the disposal of the prophets of Baal (v40). This was not his arbitrary choice, but obedience to Israel's law. Deut.18(20) says, "...a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death." Deut.13(5) decrees, "That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he preached rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way the LORD your God commanded you to follow.[then adds] You must purge the evil from among you."
Purity is necessary for us to come to a holy God. As sinners, we need to repent of our sins and receive the forgiveness offered through Jesus' blood in order to be acceptable to Almighty God. Heb.10(22) says, "let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." And Paul wrote to Timothy (2Tim.2:22), "Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." Purity is worth it!
Tenacity
Finally, success in prayer requires tenacity, hanging in there even when what you're asking for doesn't appear right away. Elijah in faith told Ahab (v41) to eat and drink as if to celebrate because "there is the sound of a heavy rain" - even though at that point there still wasn't a cloud in the sky. Then Elijah climbed to the very top of the mountain and set himself to praying on his knees. When he told his servant to go look west out over the Mediterranean, the servant came back and reported there was nothing there. V43, "Seven times Elijah said, 'Go back.'" It wasn't until the seventh time that the servant reported a cloud was forming.
It's tempting to give up when we're praying for something and it doesn't happen right away. We give up after the first or second or third time; tenacity means hanging in there til the seventh time, or even longer. We may not even see the result in our lifetime, but that doesn't mean it's not God's will or that it's not worth praying for. In 1Thess.5:17 Paul counsels believers to "pray without ceasing", unstoppingly, without let-up. In Luke 18(1-8) Jesus tells the parable of an unjust judge who keeps getting pestered by a widow so much that he finally grants her request. She just keeps on coming with her plea until she wears him down. So the Lord urges us to not give up when we pray; God won't keep putting us off indefinitely. Christ concludes, "And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly." (Lk.18:7f)
Keep on praying; don't give up - God may be answering your prayer in a way other than what you expect. A man named Robinson wrote: "Prayer is like the dove that Noah sent forth, which blessed him not only when it returned with an olive-leaf in its mouth, but when it never returned at all."
Coming to a King
In closing, let's train to be awesome prayer warriors like Elijah - knowing that prayer doesn't work because of our own ability, but that of our Sovereign God. John Newton, who wrote "Amazing Grace", reminds us in this poem to be bold and audacious in our praying.
"Thou art coming to a King -
Large petitions with thee bring;
For His grace and power are such
None can ever ask too much."
Let's pray.