Preparing For A Miracle
Preparing for a Miracle
One of the most captivating miracles in the Old Testament is found in 1 Kings 18. A physical drought has ravaged the land due to the ongoing disobedience of God’s people. It’s in the third year of the devastating drought that Elijah gets a word from the Lord – a miracle is coming. Elijah understands something critically important about the word he received: if he’s going to see the miracle happen, he will need to prepare.
Elijah gathers all of Israel, including hundreds of prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel and in 1 Kings 18:20-35, Elijah leads them in preparation for a miracle:
Vs 23, “I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood on the altar…”
Vs 25, “Choose one of the bulls, and prepare it and call on the name of your god.”
Vs 26, “So they prepared one of the bulls and placed it on the altar.”
The prophets of Baal spend all day calling on their god to send fire to burn the offering, but nothing happens.
Next, Elijah prepares for a miracle. He repairs the altar, places the wood and the sacrifice, and even has a trench built to surround it. During a drought when water was scarce, Elijah has four large containers of water poured over the altar three separate times, drenching the sacrifice, and filling the trench.
The drenched wood represented a big problem because it couldn’t catch fire, but Elijah understood that our problems are no match for God’s power. Verse 36 says, “Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed…”
Elijah had a unique understanding that what must accompany preparation is faith-filled prayer. He prays, and fire immediately falls from heaven, burning up the sacrifice and drying up all the water in the trench! It was an amazing miracle!
Elijah’s preparation resulted in a supernatural miracle, the defeat of false prophets, and a nation turning back to God. But none of that would have happened if Elijah just sat on the word and waited around for it to happen. Instead, he began taking action and prepared for the miracle.
God wants to do even greater miracles in our lives. Our prayer and fasting is preparation for those miracles. As you pray for specific needs, ask God how you should begin preparing for the miracle that is on the way!
“So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel. Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word. Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. Now let them give us two oxen; and let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood, and I will not put a fire under it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people said, “That is a good idea.” So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.” Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, “O Baal, answer us.” But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they made. It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened.” So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them. When midday was past, they raved until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention. Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord which had been torn down. Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.” So with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two measures of seed. Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” And he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. The water flowed around the altar and he also filled the trench with water.”
1 Kings 18:20-35 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/1ki.18.20-35.NASB1995
One of the most captivating miracles in the Old Testament is found in 1 Kings 18. A physical drought has ravaged the land due to the ongoing disobedience of God’s people. It’s in the third year of the devastating drought that Elijah gets a word from the Lord – a miracle is coming. Elijah understands something critically important about the word he received: if he’s going to see the miracle happen, he will need to prepare.
Elijah gathers all of Israel, including hundreds of prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel and in 1 Kings 18:20-35, Elijah leads them in preparation for a miracle:
Vs 23, “I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood on the altar…”
Vs 25, “Choose one of the bulls, and prepare it and call on the name of your god.”
Vs 26, “So they prepared one of the bulls and placed it on the altar.”
The prophets of Baal spend all day calling on their god to send fire to burn the offering, but nothing happens.
Next, Elijah prepares for a miracle. He repairs the altar, places the wood and the sacrifice, and even has a trench built to surround it. During a drought when water was scarce, Elijah has four large containers of water poured over the altar three separate times, drenching the sacrifice, and filling the trench.
The drenched wood represented a big problem because it couldn’t catch fire, but Elijah understood that our problems are no match for God’s power. Verse 36 says, “Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed…”
Elijah had a unique understanding that what must accompany preparation is faith-filled prayer. He prays, and fire immediately falls from heaven, burning up the sacrifice and drying up all the water in the trench! It was an amazing miracle!
Elijah’s preparation resulted in a supernatural miracle, the defeat of false prophets, and a nation turning back to God. But none of that would have happened if Elijah just sat on the word and waited around for it to happen. Instead, he began taking action and prepared for the miracle.
God wants to do even greater miracles in our lives. Our prayer and fasting is preparation for those miracles. As you pray for specific needs, ask God how you should begin preparing for the miracle that is on the way!
“So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel. Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word. Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. Now let them give us two oxen; and let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood, and I will not put a fire under it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people said, “That is a good idea.” So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.” Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, “O Baal, answer us.” But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they made. It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened.” So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them. When midday was past, they raved until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention. Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord which had been torn down. Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.” So with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two measures of seed. Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” And he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. The water flowed around the altar and he also filled the trench with water.”
1 Kings 18:20-35 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/1ki.18.20-35.NASB1995