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The Cry of Daring Faith

'And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening oblation, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, O Lord, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that Thou art God in Israel, and that I am Thy servant, and that I have done all these things at Thy word.
Hear me, O Lord, hear me that this people may know that Thou, Lord, art God, and that Thou hast turned their hearts back again.
Then the fire of the Lord fell... and when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, The Lord, He is God! the Lord He is God!'—.
1 Kings 18:3-39

The Epistle of James gives us the key to Elijah's power.
Out of all the Old Testament records he chooses this incident as the example of prevailing prayer. It is the most dramatic scene in history.

The nation is summoned to a battle of rival Gods. Jehovah had been utterly forsaken, and under the patronage of a heathen Queen, the worship of Baal had been established in the land. The prophets of the Lord had been slain. Jezebel exulted in her triumph, and boasted that she had ousted the God of Israel from the midst of His own people.

Like a bolt from the blue came Elijah the prophet. Standing in the royal presence he declared that there should be no rain in the land, except by his word. Having uttered his challenge he disappeared as mysteriously as he had come. For three years and six months he was hid by the brook Cherith, and in the house of a widow at Zarephath.

The land was parched and famine gripped the nation, for neither dew nor rain had fallen since the memorable day when Elijah had spoken in the presence of the king. Then the prophet returned, and challenged the prophets of Baal to open battle. The test was to be by prayer, and the proof, a descent of fire.

They assembled on Mount Carmel.
The champions of Baal were eight hundred and fifty strong. The God of Israel was represented by the one solitary witness. One man against a nation. According to the terms of the challenge the prophets of Baal prepared their altar and put no fire under. Then, from morning until far into the afternoon, they cried unto Baal to send the fire.

In their frenzy they cut themselves with knives and cast themselves upon the altar, but there came no answer. Elijah mocked them and urged them to greater madness. When they had exhausted all their resources he called a halt.

The altar of the Lord God was repaired, and in his daring faith the prophet Elijah commanded them to flood it with water. All was ready. The multitude watched in breathless stillness as the man of God lifted his hands in prayer. His voice rang out in quivering earnestness.

He appealed to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and challenged Him that day to vindicate His servant in the presence of his enemies. Then he prayed for the people, that the Lord would turn their hearts from idols to serve the living God.

As he prayed the fire fell.
It burnt up the sacrifice and the altar, licking the very dust from the ground. When the people saw it, they fell upon their faces and cried, The Lord, He is God! the Lord, He is God!

The Power of One Man
The story of Elijah is a striking example of the power of one man in the life of a nation. God always saves by a human being. If He can find one person to stand in the breach, there is hope. Salvation is not in programmes but in personhood.

Personality counts for more than anything else in the world. All things are possible where there is a leader who can appeal to the best instincts of the people.

Joseph saved Israel in the time of famine.
Moses led forth the captives into freedom.
Gideon delivered the people of God from the hand of the oppressor.
Nehemiah restored Jerusalem.
So the story runs from Genesis to Malachi, and from Matthew to Revelation; and so it runs still.

God saves by a human being. Luther, Cromwell, Wesley, Lincoln, and a host of the world's heroes are witnesses to the power of one person, called and equipped of God. The world is not saved by people of straw.

They are men conscious of a divine mission, inspired by a great faith, sustained in prayer, and men who count not their lives dear unto themselves. They carry the burden of the people's shame and woe. The open victory is the fruit of secret prayers and tears.
Such men may appear suddenly but they are not made in a day.

Against great Odds
Elijah stood that day against tremendous odds. His enemies had the advantage of numbers, influence, and power. It was a fanatic's dream to think that he could succeed in uprooting an evil so gigantic and powerful.

Happily the fanatic knows no fear. All things are possible to his fiery soul. He glories to assail the impregnable, and attempt the impossible. Confident in his God and his cause he attacks the enemy at his strongest point. The line of least resistance does not appeal to him.

Since Baal is the god of the elements, then the elements shall be the test. When his turn came he threw prudence to the winds. Where others would have been glad for a fire-starter, Elijah flooded the altar with water.

Difficulties do not count when God works. It was a tremendous risk. His cause and his life were in the issue, but he had no fear. He knew his God, and he knew his mission. Whatever the odds, one plus God is always a majority. Nothing is impossible to the man who works with the Almighty.

The Great Prayer
What a prayer!
It trembled with passion, for the Epistle of James tells us that Elijah prayed earnestly. Battles are not won in cold blood. This man's soul was kindled within him.

He had mocked the frantic cries of those who cut themselves and covered the altar with their own red blood. Now that Elijah prays, there is no frenzy but there is great fervour. His pleading was divinely based and God-inspired. He pleaded the covenant and the honour of the Divine Name. He stood for God's cause, and sought God's glory.

We can only be mighty in prayer as self is lost. A false motive paralyses faith, and freezes the source of intercession. Prayer was followed by judgement and slaughter, because of the prophet's zeal for the honour of his God. Zeal never spares. Even Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord.

We need not wonder that Elijah slew the false prophets with the edge of the sword, or that Cromwell took off the head of Charles I. False religion and idolatry must be destroyed in the lives of God's people. In this sense also deliverance is often by blood.

After the fire comes the rain. When the work of judgement was accomplished, the man of God returned to the mount of prayer. There again he pleaded. Fire might vindicate, but it could not fertilize. Judgement prepares the way for grace. Again God hears.

The uplifted hand of Elijah, the mighty intercessor, is answered by the hand of God in the heavens. Then came the rain. Israel was delivered, but through it all Jezebel hardened her heart against the Lord though He answered in fire and in flood.