The last two days I have been thinking more about the message Pastor Laura brought on Sunday from 1 Kings 18, the story of Elijah on Mt. Carmel. The first thing I noted was God’s perfect timing; the second thing was that when God speaks our obedience is to be immediate.
The third thing was from verse 19. It was part of Elijah’s instruction to King Ahab. “Now summon all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.” [HCSB]
Pastor Laura reminded us that this was not a walk in the park. This was a long trek up a mountain. And as the Scripture notes, the summons was to “all Israel,” not to just a few people.
It had not rained for three years. The trail would have been dry, perhaps dusty. Some sections were probably hardened like concrete. Every step up that dry mountain would have been a chore.
And only Elijah knew that God had promised rain.
Did you ever think about that? The King, the nation of Israel, all the false prophets and Elijah trudged up that dry mountainous trail together, but only one man, Elijah, did it with hope and a promise in his heart.
Elijah knew that God always fulfilled His promises. He had been experiencing that for the past three years.
Elijah may not have known exactly how God would do it, but he knew rain was promised and rain there would be.
