The Answer of Fire

UV 533/10,000 I Kings 18 v 24 The Answer by Fire “And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.” The Lord revealed in a time of prayer that there is a lot of jealousy, ill will, distrust and anger against God’s people. But, He is the God who answers with fire. Elijah, the prophet was outnumbered by the prophets of Baal, 450 to 1. But, he was not overwhelmed. He believed God to vindicate him. He knew that the Lord will give the answer of fire. Elijah dug a trench around the sacrifice and filled it with water. He poured four barrels of water so that the wet conditions would make it difficult, if not impossible for fire to occur. But, the Lord sent fire from above that consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the dust and the water in the trench. The enemy often wants to entrap us but we are entrenched by the Lord. He sends His holy fire as a wall of protection around us. He will confirm our actions as He did Elijah’s as long as we act according to His Word and will. The odds were against Elijah succeeding against the large number of people ranged against him. But, the Lord is the God of impossible odds. He will ensure that while we may be outnumbered,we will not be overwhelmed. He does it time and again so that people will know that He is the Lord God and they would turn their heart back to Him again. The wood, the stones, the dust and the water are symbols of different degrees of resistance to hostility that we face in our daily walk. Each of these substances represent a varying degree of combustibility or the ability to burn or the propensity to trust and serve God. But, the glory of the Lord will break down all barriers as we live testimonial lives for Him so that the stony heart and the wooden heart, the dusty soul and the watery lives will each catch the fire of God. Prateep V Philip