1 Kings 18:26-28, 36-39

"And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. And ... there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded."

These verses are recorded in the context of a contest between Elijah and the 400 prophets of Baal, an idol. Elijah proposed that they build two altars, and put sacrifices on them without fire. They would then pray, the prophets to Baal, and Elijah to Jehovah, and the God that answered with fire would be God. The prophets of Baal went first. As recorded above, they spent the whole day praying, cutting themselves, and even jumping on the altar. What devotion. For if the fire fell when they were on the altar they would have been killed. But a whole day worth of praying brought no response. The prophets of Baal cried out to their god in hopes of getting his attention. They threw themselves on the altar, and they cut themselves. All of these actions were intended to get the attention of their god. And nobody heard or regarded.

What a sad situation. Imagine putting your whole life into a religious system only to find that you were honoring an idol; something that could not even defend itself. They wanted badly that Baal would prove himself. They were willing to die for him in the process. But nobody answered. Even their yelling and long windedness did nothing. There was no fire. The idol, and its prophets, were seen for the frauds that they really were.

Toward evening, Elijah rebuilt the altar to God, "... and said, 'LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.' Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God."

So Elijah took his turn. After he set up the altar and killed the sacrifice, he doused it three times with water. He then prayed the prayer recorded above. Even if he spoke slowly it would not have taken a whole minute to say. And when he was finished the fire fell. It consumed the sacrifice, the stones of the altar, the dust and licked up all of the water. Compared to the efforts of the followers of Baal, Elijah spoke a short, simple prayer. There was no cutting, or jumping. And the results were immediate.

The lesson for us is clear. God is attentive to our praying. There is no need to shout or talk long to get His attention. He is not sleeping, or on vacation, or talking with someone. 1 Peter 5:7 says, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." He is there and willing and able to help.

I need not shout, for He is near
More near than a friend would be.
'Tis not my much speaking that bends His ear,
But His boundless love for me.

HJK