Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
So Obadiah, went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet with Elijah. When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” So, Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.
Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning til noon. “Oh Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.
Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time of the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.
At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Oh Lord, 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, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know tat you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning hearts back again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—He is God! The Lord—He is God!”
– 1 Kings 18:16-20, 25-26, 29, 36-39
Devotion
Ahab called Elijah “the troubler of Israel.” Elijah responded that it was Ahab who was bringing trouble on Israel because he had forsaken Yahweh and followed Baal. Elijah proposed a showdown between Baal and Yahweh. Ahab agreed. On that day, Elijah said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions?” Baal and his prophets were thoroughly defeated before Yahweh and his lone prophet. When the people saw Baal’s powerlessness in contrast to Yahweh’s great power, they quickly turned their hearts back to Yahweh and his prophet.
The Big Question
Like the people of Israel, we often turn to the impotent gods of this world for help in our time of need. We all must answer Elijah’s question: How long will you hesitate between two opinions? We must either follow the One True God of the universe or chase after the impotent gods of this world. What about you? Which way will you turn?
Spend some time in prayer meditating on what God revealed to you through His Word today.