God Hears

December 15

Once again, the people of Israel turned away from God. The kingdom of Israel fought over who should rule it and where the throne should be. God's messenger, Elijah, grew discouraged by the lack of faith in the land, and especially by the king and queen’s wickedness. They worshiped the gods of neighboring countries. Elijah issued a challenge to this other god, Baal, and 450 of his prophets.

On Mount Carmel, the prophets of Baal spent all day trying to get their god to send down fire and got nothing. When Elijah stepped forward to ask for fire, the God of Israel sent down a fire so fierce it burned up the sacrifice, the stone altar, soil, and the water around it. In front of all the people of Israel, God proved once again that he had the power.

Today’s Ornament – The Stone Altar

Today’s Bible Verse – I Kings 18:36-39

At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O Lord, 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. 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." 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. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The Lord--he is God! The Lord--he is God!"