Certainty

Being certain about something can be a place of disappointment. Things change, people change their minds, circumstances change, all with the probability of disappointing us. And then there are things that we are certain about which we don’t think about, such as the sun rising every morning, seen or unseen. Really, how many mornings have you awakened and wondered if the sun had risen? I’m not sure about you, but I can honestly say I never wonder that, even when I can’t see the sun.

In I Kings 18, Elijah confronts King Ahab of Israel, one of the most wicked kings in the Old Testament. Elijah tells him to summon all the priests of Baal and Asherah to a face off. Each side will prepare a sacrifice and then pray to their God or gods to set the sacrifice on fire.

The priests of Baal and Asherah go first. They start early in the morning, and pray and cry out and dance and cut themselves with swords “until their blood flowed”. Elijah starts to mock them. Mind you he is mocking the priests appointed by one of the most wicked kings, so indirectly he is also mocking King Ahab. None of the priests’ exhortations or prayers are answered. There is silence and the sacrifice remains untouched on the altar.

Then Elijah rebuilds the altar of God, digs a trench around it, places the sacrificed bull on the altar, and then has four large jars of water poured over the sacrifice and the altar three times – twelve large jars of water, probably about 30 gallons each. Then Elijah prays to God and asks Him to set the sacrifice on fire. “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.” (I Kings 18:38)

Now that’s pretty spectacular honestly. To me, what is even more spectacular is Elijah’s certainty that God would answer him. That the sacrifice would be supernaturally burned up. That the people who had abandoned God would see His work and His answer.

Bold prayers and actions, like Elijah’s here, require absolute certainty about the character and power of God. We only build that by remaining close to Him, with prayer being a key along with Scripture reading and study.

But it is all too easy to default to what I can do in a situation rather then rely on, be certain of, God and His goodness and power. To look for a match, rather than ask for the fire.

I think also, Elijah was prepared for God’s decision. It is possible God would have chosen to reveal His glory differently. But Elijah was certain of God.

Am I? How bold are my prayers? How close is my walk with Him? Can I be certain enough of God to pray and believe even when I have to wait to see His goodness in the land of the living? As certain of God as I am of the sun rising every morning.