April 9, 2019
1 Kings 18:36-38                       
At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command.  Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.
New International Version (NIV)
                 What would it take to turn the people of God back to God again?  Is there even a prayer that people will get right with God?   My friend Jim Denison asks, “As we watch reports of declining church attendance and Christian commitment in America, is our prosperity impeding our dependence on the Holy Spirit? Is self-sufficiency grieving the Spirit and hindering his power?”

                Elijah was an ordinary person who prayed with extraordinary power (James 5:17-18).  When a wicked dynasty of Kings took over the leadership of Israel, Elijah took a stand.  Instead of joining the court prophets who rubberstamped the King, he prayed and made a declaration:  “No rain.”  God provided for him miraculously.  When the people were devastated by drought, he invited them to decide whether they would continue to serve Ba’al or they would return to the Lord. 

                Ba’al’s worshipers went first, calling upon their non-existent god to send fire to consume the sacrifice.  Nothing happened.  False gods never fail to fail.  Then Elijah rebuilt the altar of the Lord put wood and the sacrifice on it and then asked them to wet the wood down.  Wait.   Wet wood doesn’t burn.  After they thoroughly soaked the wood, Elijah prayed and the fire fell.  The people turned back to the Lord that day.

                We are ordinary people, like Elijah.  But we serve an extraordinary God.  What if we prayed?  Wouldn’t God call his people back to himself?  Wouldn’t he change our churches?  Wouldn’t he revive us?  He would.  Will we pray?
Pray with me:    
Father, we lament the condition of the churches in our country.  People have forsaken worship for the sake of convenience, consumerism, and entertainment.  We would rather shop or watch a game than sing, pray, and study your word.  Our false gods have dominated our view for too long.  We know for sure that false gods never fail to fail.  So today Lord, as Pastor of your people at one church, I ask you to turn our hearts back to you.  Let us return to you in worship.  Lord make your fire fall on your people again as we pray earnestly.  Change us.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.  
This year our Every Day with Jesus readings will follow The Bible Project Read Scripture Plan.  Copies of this reading plan are available at Tallowood Baptist Church, or download 
the app at readscripture.org.  Read through the Bible with us in 2019!
Joyfully, 
Duane 
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