Fearless and Frightened But Elijah Ended Strong. Part 2

📖 Please Read: 1 KINGS 18 (This is part two of a three-part post series.)

The Man Who Stood Alone: Fearless

Fearless.

There are moments in life that define a person. Moments when everything they believe is put to the test. Moments that fear has to be thrown off like the cloak we’ve used to hide in.

And for some people, this is for public consumption. For Elijah, that moment came on Mount Carmel. After three years of drought, three years of silence, of hiding, of waiting, God said it was time. Time to come out of the shadows. Time to face the king who wanted him dead, the nation that had abandoned God, and 450 prophets of Baal who had taken his place. And Elijah didn’t flinch. Not even a little.

Elijah/fearless

Before we get to the fireworks on the mountain, I want us to notice something that often gets skipped over. When Elijah finally came face-to-face with King Ahab, Ahab called him “the troubler of Israel.” That’s a heavy accusation. In other words: “You’re the problem, Elijah. You caused all of this.” And Elijah’s response was immediate and unflinching: “No! You caused this. You and your father’s house, because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord.

Most of us would have backed down in that moment. Most of us would have softened it, qualified it, looked for common ground. Elijah didn’t. He knew what was true, and he said it. That kind of courage comes from conviction. Sometimes I fail here. I can be a coward at times. Can you?

Showdown On Mount Carmel

The showdown on Mount Carmel is one of the most dramatic scenes in all of the Old Testament. Elijah called all of Israel together, the people who had been “limping between two opinions.”
as he put it, and he issued a challenge.

Elijah/fearless

The prophets of Baal would prepare a sacrifice and call on their god. Elijah would do the same. The God who answered by fire, He is God. Simple. Clear. No room for ambiguity. And what followed was almost darkly comedic. The prophets of Baal cried out from morning until noon. They danced around the altar. They cut themselves. They raved. And nothing happened. Not a whisper. Not a spark. Because there was nothing there to answer. Idols don’t respond. They do nothing.

Then it was Elijah’s turn. And this is where he did something that takes one’s breath away. He didn’t just prepare the sacrifice; he had the altar doused with water. Twelve large jars of water were poured over everything until the water ran down and filled the trench around it. In the middle of a three-year drought, he used water.

Why?

red flame

Because he wanted there to be absolutely no doubt about what was about to happen. He wasn’t setting up a trick. He was setting up a testimony. And then he prayed — not loudly, not dramatically, but simply. “Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant.” That was it. And fire fell from heaven and consumed everything. I mean, seriously. As much as say I believe God can do anything, I freely admit I wouldn’t have had the nerve to put God to that kind of test.

Elijah’s Victory. No. God’s!

The people fell on their faces and exclaimed, “The Lord, He is God. The Lord, He is God.” After years of spiritual confusion, after years of chasing idols that couldn’t deliver, something broke open in the hearts of the people that day. And the rain came. The drought ended. Everything Elijah had declared three years earlier came to pass. By any measure, this was the greatest day of his ministry. He had stood alone against an entire system of false religion, and God had shown up in a way that silenced every argument. If there was ever a moment where Elijah had every reason to feel untouchable, this was it.

I felt that way to a lesser degree when I held the hardcover copy of my first book in my hands for the first time.

I was on top of the world. I was fearless, felt invincible. . When I started the next book, all that went away, and I felt vulnerable and afraid. Beth Moore, author and inspirational speaker, said she always experiences an attack from Satan when she finishes a book or a Bible study. I’m in good company.

And that’s exactly what makes what happens next so important. We’ll get there in our final post, but I want to leave you here for just a moment. Most of us know what it’s like to have a great victory followed by a surprising crash. We know what it’s like to be strong in one area and completely undone in another.

Elijah was no different.

The man who called down fire from heaven was about to run for his life. And somehow, that makes him feel a little more like us.

And he was; as human as we are. Nothing more, nothing less. Remember that.

💬 A Moment to Reflect

Where in your life are you “limping between two opinions,” as Elijah described the people of Israel? Is there an area where you know what God has said, but you’ve been hesitant to fully commit?

Ask God today for the kind of conviction that doesn’t back down, not because you’re naturally bold, but because you know who stands behind you.

I pray you experience a victory today. God bless and have a great week-end.