Everyday Obedience
Bible stories of great faith and awesome miracles fascinate me. Imagining the scenes, emotions, and awe of those moments leaves me bewildered as I wonder what my response would be had I been an eye witness. Would I believe or doubt the verity of these illogical and impossible events? Would my heart be softened, causing me to turn to the true and living God? Or would I doubt and miss the literal chance of a lifetime?
One such awesome miracle is found in the verses of I Kings 18. Elijah, a prophet of the Lord, sets himself in opposition against 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah. They and the people of Israel gather at Mt. Carmel. We read Elijah’s question to Israel, “How long will you halt and limp between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him! But if Baal, then follow him (I Kings 18:21).”
Elijah then sets the terms for the challenge: both the false prophets and he will prepare a sacrifice, they to Baal and he to the Lord God. “Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the One Who answers by fire, let Him be God (I Kings 18:24).”
The spectacle that happened next was a bizarre and bloody exercise in futility. The prophets of Baal called on their god, leaped and danced around the altar they had made, and went as far as self-mutilation in their attempts to get Baal’s attention. They began in the morning and went on through the afternoon, until evening.
Then it was Elijah’s turn. He began by digging a three-foot trench around the altar he set up. He then drenched the bull on the altar, and flooded the trench with water. When he came near and called out to the Lord God, there was no question who was the living God!
“At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, ‘O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and that I have done all these things at Your word … Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice and the wood and the stones and the dust, and also licked up the water that was in the trench.” I Kings 18:36, 38 (AMP)
God absolutely did a thorough job of answering the challenge! Not only was the bull for the sacrifice and the wood consumed by the fire, non-flammable things like the stones and dust of the altar were also consumed, along with all the water on and around the altar! I am surprised Hollywood has not capitalized on this extreme action-slash-underdog story: Elijah faces 850 foes and comes out on top! Incredible!
What immense faith Elijah must have had, right? I have often strived to build my faith to an equal level. It should come as no surprise that I have fallen far short of this kind of super faith. Truthfully, my inability to reach an Elijah level of faith and miracles could easily be a source of discouragement, had not the Holy Spirit shone His light on a key phrase included in this story:
“At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice.”
This one phrase changes the story from one of super-charged faith to one of pure obedience. If the miracle hinged on faith alone, we could forget about the years of Elijah’s faithful service and obedience to God. We could forget that he set up the altar in accordance with God’s law. We could forget that Elijah approached God and that holy altar at the precise time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, praised God and acknowledged Him as sovereign. We could forget that Elijah asked that God reveal Himself to the people there not so Elijah could win the challenge, but so Israel would turn their hearts back to the Lord God. Elijah was obedient to God’s word and law at every turn and had been for years. Obedience was his habit.
If this miracle were all a matter of having enough faith, then none of us could imagine having any place in that story. None of us have done the miracles of Elijah or shown the courage he did to challenge 850 foes out on a mountain. But what if it is more a matter of obedience than faith?
There are certainly times when God surprises us with His presence or His voice. There are also times when we can expect Him. He has promised to answer when we call and be with us when we experience trouble (Ps. 91:15). He has promised to be present with us when we gather with believers (Matt.18:20). He has promised that we will hear and recognize His voice (John 10:27). And He has promised to dwell and live in the praises of His people (Ps. 22:3).
There are patterns and formulas found in His promises that God has established, and we can count on them. He is faithful to His Word and His promises. Obedience on our part allows God to fully work and display His power. So do not be surprised when God shows up in your life. Everyday obedience, both in the mundane and in extreme challenges, sets the stage and opens the curtain for God to act. Expect awesome miracles and stories of great faith to be part of your story. Super-faith is not required to see God do miracles. Simple, obedient, genuine faith is enough.
