1 Kings 18:41-46
The Lord Sends Rain

After the dramatic showdown between Yahweh and Baal, the people of the northern kingdom of Israel fell down and acknowledged, “Yahweh – He is God!” Later, Elijah bowed to the ground before the Lord with his face between his knees, appealing to Him to fulfill His promise and send rain to the drought-ravaged land. Elijah waited patiently and expectantly, sending his servant seven times to look for rain clouds.  

Are you waiting for God to keep a promise? Ask and keep on asking, knock and keep on knocking. It may take seven times – and remember that, in the Bible, the number seven is often not literal but rather stands for fullness or completeness. Consider the possibility that God has a purpose in the “seven times” waiting. He may be refining my prayer. Perhaps He hasn’t actually promised what I’m asking for, such as an easy, comfortable life. Perhaps I am trying to micromanage God, expecting Him to keep His promise in exactly the way I envision. Wait patiently, trusting the Lord to act and to teach you along the way.

Pastor Dave stated very clearly a lesson that permeates the Old Testament: God hates idolatry. We sophisticated moderns don’t bow down to statues; our idols are anything or anyone that takes precedence over God in our lives. It would be a good thing to write “God hates idolatry” across our bathroom mirrors and let it confront us daily. Woe to us if we don’t take the warning seriously enough to self-examine and to test out a possible idol by saying no to it. (Can I do it?)

Dave compared the evil kings before Ahab who used idolatry as political strategy to Christians today who slide into idolatry unintentionally. He compared Ahab, described as even more evil than all his predecessors, to professing Christians who actively pursue idols, building structures in their schedules and budgets to accommodate them.

Don’t spend much time trying to decide if you’re merely an evil king or the most evil king! Both need God’s mercy, and it is available to both. Let’s take every hint of idolatry to His throne, humbling ourselves before Him, asking for His forgiveness in the name of our Savior.
 
Calvary Family

Bob Bates and four other men, all members of Firefighters for Christ International, were scheduled to leave today to serve communities in North Carolina devastated by recent hurricanes. (You can read an article about one small town trying to recover here.) Pray for these men as they share their experience and caring hearts with those they will serve, asking for protection and wisdom.
 
Sunday was International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians. Believers in dozens of nations around the world are imprisoned, attacked, deprived of employment or possessions, or rejected by family because of their faith in Jesus. If we were the persecuted ones, wouldn’t we want our brothers and sisters to remember us regularly and pray for us? Praying lament psalms in solidarity with them is one idea. Last week, my small group lifted up Psalm 22, which begins “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” as a prayer for the persecuted. You can find other suggestions for prayer at the Voice of the Martyrs website.

In Christ,
Carol Gilbert

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