Faith In Conflict—A Sign, Sound, and a Storm—1 Kings 18:41
450 Prophet of Baal—So we see 450 prophets of Baal and it appears that they have jumped on one man, Elijah. The fight wasn’t fair but it had to be done. Actually Elijah initiated the fight. All of them standing there in total agreement about they’re cause. This was a divine showdown ordained by God to show everyone the magnitude and reach of His control and power. Even outnumbered God is in the majority. Gods people were halt between two opinions…their faith was in conflict and they faced the impossible.
If God Be God—even in the midst of this impossible test Elijah concludes in his heart that if God be for me He is more than the world against me. He has the kind of faith that looks at impossible situations when he’s obviously surrounded, but he’s saying by his faith we’ve got you surrounded. How long will you be halt…..If God be God…...
Somewhere in your Christian development you’ve got to acquire the kind of crazy faith that makes you look like a fool and that makes people laugh at you. Because sooner or later you’ll get into a situation where only God can get you out of. [The battle isn’t yours it’s the Lords]. I don’t know what you’re going thru today but I dare you to say I’m coming out of this. I don’t have any details or deep revelation but I know I’m coming out of this. You will become what you say. I may come out walking, running, limping, or get carried out. All I know is I’m coing out.
He Gave Me A Sign—Elijah has 450 prophets of Baal coming against him on every side. God said go ahead and build me an altar; dig ditches, pour water in the ditches and stand back because I’m going to give you a public sign. Have you ever had God give you a public sign; that shut up the mouth of your critics; that proved to everybody that the Lord was on your side? Have you ever seen God stand up for you when the devil thought he had you surrounded and everybody was prophesying that he would never come out of this alive? Then God proved Himself and gave you a public sign.
[The prophets of Baal failed—they started cutting themselves—God will make a fool of your enemies] [Then Elijah prayed—saturated the altar three times]. The Bible says that the fire of the Lord fell. It licked up the sacrifice, the wood and water. Fire is supposed to burn up the sacrifice and wood. But this fire burned up the stones and the dust and licked up the water too. When God gives you a sign it will burn up things that people say can’t be burned. God will move people that cannot be moved, and change the unchangeable situations. God moves things by His Holy Ghost fire as a sign that He’s the God that brought you out, so whatever you face in the future you can look back on it as a sign that the Lord is on your side. When God gives you a public sign like that…God will show everyone that He gave you the job as a sign; people hate on you because they had more qualifications but you had more God. A Dry Place—they were still in the drought. He couldn’t celebrate the victory because of the drought.
He Gave Me A Sound—For the dry place God gave no sign, He just gave a sound. Elijah said I hear a sound; everything was dry outwardly but in his spirit he heard a sound. Have you ever heard something in your spirit that was totally different than what you saw in your situation? It’s almost an oxymoron, a contradiction of circumstances. He said I hear the sound, not just of rain, but the sound of an abundance of rain. Have you ever been in a dry situation when God was talking to you about greatness when you were in weakness? I would’ve died but I heard something, I almost fainted, almost walked away from God, almost thru in the towel. In your dry place stop looking for a sign and start listening for a sound.
He Gave Me A Storm—(Evening worship—killed prophets of Baal) After Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal he had them all killed, then he was able to address the drought. The last thing Elijah needed to complete this move was a storm. He got in the birthing position and sent his servant out 7 times looking for the rain. Each time he came back with nothing. Each time he sent him back again: when you are seeking the Lord you have to go back until you get a yes! God will stockpile no’s in front of your yes because they that wait….
He came back on the seventh time with sort of good news. He said I do see something coming up out of the sea the size of a mans hand. After all the boasting and waiting he could’ve viewed the small cloud as embarrassment or defeat but when he got a little bit of good news he said that’s it, get ready, here it comes. Sometimes you have to praise God for a little bit. Delayed but not denied. Until you learn how to praise God for what you have He won’t give you what you need. Verse 45 says the heaven was black with clouds and wind and there was a great rain. This solidified the sovereignty of the Lord of Hosts. The people were saved because God moved according to one mans faith in conflict.
He Gave Me Strength—the Spirit of the Lord came upon Elijah in the midst of the storm and he outran Ahab to Jezreel. In the middle of the storm God will give you strength and He will cause you to outrun the enemy and the storm. The storm you face is not really a storm its spiritual soaking waiting to overtake you.