Trouble has a way of testing what we believe about God. On Mount Carmel, Elijah showed a wavering nation who the true God is. His power has not diminished, and His worthiness has not changed.
When trouble rises, let your praise rise, too. (Getty Images)
“Ooh, thank You, Jesus,” I said in the kitchen this morning. Somebody walking in on me might have assumed I was praising God for something wonderful that had just happened. Truth is, a sharp pain had shot across my back and down my hip, another of the body aches I've been suffering through as I recover from this latest illness.
The thanksgiving was reflexive. My youngest son, Kaleb, was in the kitchen with me. He knows how much I've been struggling lately.
“Finding gratitude in the pain, huh?” he said.
I burst out laughing. He was playing on the title of my book, Finding Gratitude in the Dark, which was released last week. And yes, that's exactly what I was doing.
I've been practicing gratitude in the good, the bad, the bitter, the sweet, the painful, and the pleasant, because God is good all the time. When trouble rises, I've made a decision: my gratitude will rise, too. I refuse to let anything or anyone rob me of my praise.
I also know how the enemy works. He wants prolonged adversity to wear down our confidence in God until we go quiet.
This morning, during my devotion time, the Lord led me to 1 Kings 18.
Israel was wavering between the Lord and Baal. King Ahab and Queen Jezebel had promoted Baal worship throughout the land, and Jezebel had been killing the Lord's prophets. Openly standing for the Lord could cost someone their life.
Into that climate stepped Elijah. He gathered the people on Mount Carmel and confronted them with a piercing question: "How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him." (1 Kings 18:21, KJV)
Scripture records their response in one line: "And the people answered him not a word."
They went silent. Elijah was calling Israel to decide whom they would trust and follow. It was a dangerous time to stand openly for the Lord. Jezebel had already ordered the deaths of His prophets.
It's easy to open your mouth when it costs you nothing, but what about when it costs you? The enemy wants the pressure of standing firm in faith to intimidate us into silence. He would love to stop us from declaring that we're on the Lord's side, or from lifting our praise in a season when our circumstances say God doesn't hear us.
Elijah refused to be silent. He set the terms of the contest himself: "the God that answereth by fire, let him be God." (verse 24)
Baal's 450 prophets went first. They cried out to their god from morning until the time of the evening sacrifice, leaping upon their altar and cutting themselves until the blood gushed out. Scripture says there was "neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded." (verse 29)
Then Elijah repaired the broken altar of the Lord and laid the sacrifice on the wood. He had it all drenched with water three times, until the water ran around the altar, and he filled the trench, too. Then he prayed: "Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again." (verse 37)
Elijah's aim was the people's hearts. He wanted them to see the truth about God and return to Him.
"Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench." (verse 38)
The God who answered Elijah by fire is still the living God. (Frank King / Getty Images)
The Hebrew word for fire here is ’esh. It's the everyday word for fire, the same word Scripture uses for the fire that roasted the Passover lamb. Nothing about the word itself is extraordinary.
What made this fire extraordinary was its source. It was the fire of the LORD. It consumed the stones and the dust and licked up the water in the trench, because the One who sent it is God.
When God gets inside our ordinary circumstances, He's able to do what no other power can do. The God who answered Elijah by fire is still the living God, and His power has not diminished.
Four hundred fifty prophets cried out all day to a god who never answered. Elijah prayed one short prayer to the living God, and the fire fell.
When the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, "The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God." (verse 39)
The people who wouldn't answer Elijah's question now declared the answer with their faces to the ground. We should be just as bold in our praise, because we know who He is and what He is able to do.
Hours later, as I was still feasting on the revelation, a member of my executive team texted me from the hospital. “I didn't want to tell you,” she wrote, knowing how sick I've been myself.
I began praying for her right away, declaring God's Word and encouraging her to stand on His promises. We praise Him in the middle of trouble because we know God's character remains unchanged, even when our circumstances have yet to change.
We can declare that He is a healer while we're still sick, a provider when resources are scarce, and a way-maker when we cannot see a way.
Friend, we serve the same living God who answered Elijah by fire. You can bring Him your pain, your tears, and your requests for healing and deliverance. And while you wait, keep blessing His name.
Today, my body is still aching. I'm still recovering. I'm still praying for healing.
And I'm still giving God glory.
I want somebody to look at my life and see who God is and how worthy He is. That's why, even in the middle of this battle, I've already made up my mind.
When trouble rises, my praise is going to rise, too.
To help give God the glory He deserves, I'm stirring Psalm 71:7-8 into your cup of inspiration as the sweetener:
"My life is an example to many, because you have been my strength and protection. That is why I can never stop praising you; I declare your glory all day long." (Psalm 71:7-8, NLT)
As you drink down the contents of your cup, know this: The God who answered by fire on Mount Carmel is present in your ordinary, aching places. He is worthy of all the praise, no matter what you face. When trouble rises, let your praise rise, too.
Now let's pray.
Father, thank You that You are the same God who answered by fire. When pain lingers and answers seem delayed, keep my heart steadfast and my mouth filled with praise. You are worthy right here in the middle of what I'm going through, and I will bless Your name at all times. You are great and greatly to be praised! In Jesus' name, Amen.
