Heart Prep:
In this week’s Bible story, we see how God answered Elijah’s prayers. King Ahab led the people to worship Baal. The prophet Elijah condemned Ahab for leading the people astray and instructed him to gather all the people and prophets of Baal for to perform a test. The test was simple: both Elijah and the prophets of Baal would offer sacrifices to see if Baal would respond or if God would respond. The prophets of Baal performed and prayed but no response was given. When Elijah prayed to the Lord to “answer so that this people will know you,” fire rained down from heaven consuming the offerings prepared by Elijah. After the test, Jezebel sought to kill Elijah, and Elijah fled. This time, Elijah’s prayer was one of weariness and desperation. Again, God proved faithful to Elijah and answered his prayer. The Lord spoke to Elijah in a whisper and encouraged him, reminding him that the Lord would save those who remained faithful to Him. The people of Israel knew that the Lord is the one true God when He answered Elijah’s prayer and sent fire down from heaven. In the same way, people would know that Jesus is God’s Son when the Holy Spirit came down like a dove when Jesus was baptized. Jesus is the Son of God and gave His life up for us. Remember that God hears and answers the prayers of those who belong to Him. Remind boys and girls that through Jesus, we can boldly take our requests to God!
Message:
After King Baasha, Israel had many wicked kings. One of those evil kings was Ahab. He killed the prophets of God and led the people to worship a false god named Baal. The word of the Lord came to the prophet Elijah and said, “Go and present yourself to Ahab.”The prophet Elijah came to Ahab and said, “You have ruined Israel because you have abandoned the Lord’s commands and followed Baal instead. Gather the entire nation, and bring the prophets of Baal, too.” Once everyone had gathered, Elijah said, “How long will you go between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him. But if Baal is God, follow him. Bring two bulls—one for me, and one for the prophets of Baal. We will each prepare them on an altar as a burnt sacrifice. Prophets of Baal, you will call on your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The God that answers with fire is the one true God.” The prophets of Baal cried out to their false god from morning until noon, but nothing happened. Elijah made fun of them, saying, “Maybe your god is taking a walk, or maybe he is sleeping!” They danced and shouted all day, but there was no sound; no one answered; no one paid attention. Then it was Elijah’s turn. He repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down. He then prepared the bull on the altar and asked that water be poured on top. So much water was poured that it gathered in a trench around the altar. Elijah prayed to God: “Lord, today, let it be known that you are God in Israel, and I am your servant. Answer so that this people will know that you, the Lord, are God and you have turned their hearts back.” Then the Lord’s fire fell. It completely consumed the burnt offering, the wood and stones of the altar, and even the water gathered in the trench. The people were amazed, falling facedown and saying, “The Lord, he is God!” Ahab told his wicked wife, Jezebel, everything that had happened. Jezebel sent word to Elijah saying she was going to kill him. Elijah ran for his life. When he was far enough away, he prayed and said, “Lord, I have had enough. I’m no better than the prophets before me.” The next day, the Lord spoke to Elijah. He told Elijah to go out to a mountain. A great wind passed by. Then an earthquake. Then fire. But the Lord was not in any of these. Then there was a soft whisper. In that whisper, God said, “What are you doing here, Elijah? Go and anoint a new king over Israel. I will preserve for myself people who still worship me and who have not bowed down to Baal. Go and anoint a new king and follow me.” Elijah obeyed God.
Main Point:
Elijah had great faith and boldness when he prayed to God. His prayer also revealed a good desire—that the people would know the Lord alone is God. We can pray with boldness and faith as well. While God may not always answer every prayer how we hope, we can pray toward His glory, asking Him to show others that He alone is God. We can ask the Lord to help others turn from their sin and trust in Jesus. God delights in prayers that magnify His greatness.
Discussion:
Elijah had men pour water on the altar three times. Why do you think he did that?
Discuss how confident Elijah was that God would respond to his prayer because his prayer was for God’s glory. The water only served to show how great and powerful God is—not even water could keep the altar from burning up. Remind kids that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and holy. (Read Isaiah 42:8.)
The people wavered between following God and following a false god. Do people do that today? How?
Share how people can divide their life into “church stuff” and “other stuff.” Discuss how we can think we are following God because we go to church, but then throughout the week, we don’t live for God or even think about Him. Encourage kids to remember that God is worthy of every part of our lives. (Read 1 Kings 18:21.)
Why is God better than any idol or anything else in this world?
Remind kids that the evil in the world hates Jesus because He is light. Evil loves the darkness because they do not want their wickedness exposed by the light. But Jesus came to rescue people from the darkness and forgive their sin. Anyone who trusts in Jesus is brought into the light and made right with God. Tell kids that just as God came to Elijah and comforted him, God will never leave Christians no matter what they face. The Holy Spirit prays for them, helps them, and strengthens them. (Read John 3:17-21.)
