Awe yah! That's my God!

For the full context of this post read 1 Kings 18:20 - 40.

I have an outdoor gas fire pit. It’s very nice. It has a cover which makes it double as a small table. In the evenings I can go outside, uncover the beautiful glass stones, and within a matter of seconds watch the flames dancing in the dark. When I am finished, I can turn off the fire and go inside without worry that the embers might still be burning.

Recently I sat outside until late into the night hours, turned off the fire, and went to bed. It rained that night. I had forgotten to put the cover back on the fire pit and a few nights later I tried to start a fire, but it would not start. The glass stones were wet and the elements of the pit were also wet. I had to rearrange stones and it took several minutes to get the fire started. It seemed like it took too long and it was a great hassle for my instantaneous lifestyle. As I watched the flames burn that night, the miracle of Elijah and the prophets of Baal was brought to my remembrance. If you are not familiar with the account, read 1 Kings 18:20 - 40.

Elijah, God’s prophet, was in a competition with 450 of Baal’s prophets. The competition would determine who the true God was. The 450 prophets of Baal built an altar to Baal. Elijah built an altar to God. The true God would prove himself by consuming the sacrifice with fire from heaven. Baal’s prophets went first. They prayed, they danced, they cried out to Baal, and cut themselves until blood gushed from them. Baal did not consume their sacrifice by fire.

Next it was Elijah’s turn. He dug a trench around his altar. He filled four jars with water and poured them over the sacrifice. He filled four more jars with water and poured them over the sacrifice. A third time, he filled four jars with water and poured them over the sacrifice. The trench was filled with water. Elijah prayed to God and here’s what happened next:

38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God” (1 Kings 18: 38 - 39, ESV).

How big is your God?

My little fire pit got rained on and three days later I struggled to start the fire with a propane tank and a piezoelectric starter. Elijah soaked an altar and filled a trench around it with twelve jars of water and God consumed the sacrifice and licked up the water with fire from heaven. Can I get a hearty, “Awe yah! That’s my God.”

That’s who God is. That’s what God does. I can’t even light a few wet glass stones with a propane tank, but God can consume a trench full of water with fire from heaven. What else can God do that I can’t do? Everything! Sometimes I think I have this life thing figured out, but then a little rain throws my life off balance and I struggle. It’s alright! I don’t have life figured out! I have a God that calls down fire from heaven! He has my life figured out. He can do everything! Awe yah! That’s my God!