MEET ME ON THE MOUNTAIN TOP
1 Kings 18:16-19
Elijah had prayed that it would not rain for three years and indeed it did not. So Obadiah was upset with him. Elijah had an extraordinary level of prayer. He became representative of all the prophets. We know that John the Baptist later came in the spirit of Elijah.
1. COURAGE IN PRAYER
1 Kings 18:20-24
Elijah stands alone here. That is courage. He did not cower or shrink back, but dealt with the situation, and did so through prayer. He was courageous. He set the terms for how the situation would be handled.
At issue when we pray is not just what we pray for but also why we pray for it. Elijah's reason, here, was that he wanted the people's hearts to be turned back to God.
This was not a battle of swords or a contest of weaponry. It was a battle of prayer. We must learn to fix situations through prayer. When counseling people or in any other way trying to help them, don't just "get with" them, pray with them. Deal with and fix situations through prayer.
We must have the courage to pray this kind of prayer.
Elijah's prayer life had grown. He had earlier prayed that it would not rain for three-and-a-half years (1 Kings 17:1, James 5:17) and raised a widow's son (1 Kings 17:19-23). It seems that Elijah's courage in prayer was boosted by seeing these prayers answered.
2. CONVICTION IN PRAYER
1 Kings 18:25-38
It is very easy to feel unsettled by situations in life. We go through one or two setbacks and we want to give up. Elijah stuck to his convictions in the midst of the pandemonium of 450 prophets in wild, vociferous and frenzied dance. He was all alone against the 450 prophets of Baal yet was not intimidated or altered from his course. He not only built the altar in this climate , but did so correctly as prescribed by the law, not carelessly or improperly in the name of "I was under pressure." This is true conviction.
3. CONFIDENCE IN PRAYER
1 Kings 18:39
Elijah had neither seen or done this before and yet was not surprised when it happened. This shows how confident he was that God would answer his courageous prayer.
Your confidence level determines what you pray for. When you are confident, your requests are bolder and greater. You ask for what you really want and not just for what you think you'll get. That is the heart of Mark 11:24 - "Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."
1 Kings 18:40
Here, a great victory is complete. As the people, who had earlier said nothing in face of the situation at hand, see God's great answer to Elijah's prayer, they surge forward. At this point, they, too, now believe in God and not Baal.