Bible Lesson: Intercessory Prayer:
Elijah Called Upon The Lord To Prove Himself The Mighty God That He
Is.
Bible Text:
I Kings 18:36-39 NLT
36 At the usual time for offering
the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and
prayed, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that
you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have
done all this at your command.
37 O Lord, answer me! Answer me so
these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have
brought them back to yourself.”
38 Immediately the fire of The Lord
flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the
stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench!
39 And when all the people saw it,
they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The Lord—He is
God! Yes, The Lord is God!”
Be sure to read I
Kings 18:1-46.
It was a contest
between the 450 prophets of Baal and The Lord. Elijah had called the
prophets of Baal to build an altar and call upon their god to send
fire, a sign that their sacrifice was acceptable, and that their god
had heard them. But alas nothing happened, Baal was only a wicked
illusion.
Time came for the
prophet Elijah, (who wanted his people to return to The Lord), to
build The Lords altar, calling upon Him to accept their sacrifice by
fire, and the fire fell.
Elijah prayed and
all Israel knew that their God was the only God, “And when all
the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out,
“The Lord—He is God! Yes, The Lord is God!”
And so today,
amidst all the false prophets and gospel gainsaying, what is it we
must do?
We, as Elijah of
old, must have The Fire fall!
II Chronicles
7:14 KJV
If My people, which are called by My
name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn
from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will
forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
II Chronicles
29:11 NLT
My sons, do not neglect your duties
any longer! The Lord has chosen you to stand in His presence, to
minister to Him, and to lead the people in worship and present
offerings to Him.”
Zechariah 1:3
KJV
Therefore say thou unto them, Thus
saith The Lord Of Hosts; Turn ye unto Me, saith The Lord Of Hosts,
and I will turn unto you, saith The Lord Of Hosts.
At Pentecost, the
disciples of Jesus, waited for 10 days in prayer, fasting, and
calling upon The Lord. Knees bent, hands raised, confessing sin and
worshiping The Risen Savior.
Waiting for the
baptism of The Holy Spirit and The Holy Spirit's enduement
of power.
Acts 2:1-4 KJV
1 And when the day of Pentecost was
fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound
from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house
where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them
cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with
The Holy Ghost,
I Corinthians 12:13 KJV
For
by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body,
whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have
been all made to drink into one Spirit.
and began to
speak with other tongues, as The Spirit gave them utterance.
Luke 24:49 KJV
And, behold, I send The Promise of My Father upon
you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be
endued
with Power From On High.
and place our sacrifice there, beseeching The Lord to send
His Fire to consume all that we have given Him?
If we
say no, evil around us will only prevail, judgment, not being far
off.
If we
say yes, evil will be routed and God's people will know victory!
Calling Elijah's
Everywhere:
Leviticus 26:8
KJV
And five of you shall chase an
hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and
your enemies shall fall before you
Psalm 91:1-16
KJV
1 He that dwelleth in the secret
place of The Most High shall abide under the shadow of The Almighty.
2 I will say of The Lord, He is my
Refuge and my Fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.
3 Surely He shall deliver thee from
the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with His
feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His Truth shall be
thy Shield (Armor) and Buckler (Protection - NLT).
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the
terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that
walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side,
and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou
behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because thou hast made The Lord,
which is my Refuge, even The Most High, thy Habitation;
10 There shall no evil befall thee,
neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11 For He shall give His angels
charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their
hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion
and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under
feet.
14 Because he hath set his love upon
Me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he
hath known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will
answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and
honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy
him, and shew him My Salvation.
I John 4:4 KJV
Ye are of God, little children, and
have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he
that is in the world.
