Israel 2022 - Mount Carmel Reflections

    As a kid the story of Elijah defeating King Ahab, along with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah, was one of the best stories in the Bible. I laugh every time when Elijah mocks these false prophets -- 

    "You'll have to shout louder, for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself. Or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs awakened!"(1 Kings 18:27)

But, as I stared at the statue of Elijah, I realized something. 

                                    He was all alone. 

In 1 Kings 18:22, Elijah said, 

 "I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left."

    Elijah was alone standing up to a powerful throng from King Ahab. But, even though he was fighting this battle alone, he had a powerful swagger as he mocked the enemy. He even went a step further and doused the entire altar with water, three times.

Why would he take such a stand when he was so greatly outnumbered? His own people had abandoned God. To everyone except Elijah there appeared to be no hope.

Elijah might have been the only prophet left to stand up against the evil, but he had all he needed. He prayed,

        "Lord, you are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Prove that you are the God of Israel and that I am your servant. Show these people that you commanded me to do all these things. Lord, answer my prayer so these people will know that you, Lord, are God and that you will change their minds." (1 Kings 18:36,37)

        Elijah stood up to nearly 1000 people and the King, just to save the people of Israel. He had such strong faith in the power of God and he wanted his people to have that same faith. But, that is not the end of the story. The people were facing a three-year drought. The power demonstrated by God was amazing, but that wasn't going to feed the people. Elijah said to King Ahab,

"Go get something to eat and drink, for I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!" (1 Kings 18:41)

    When we were standing on Mount Carmel, looking at the beautiful valleys below, there was not a cloud in the sky. When Elijah told Ahab there was a mighty rainstorm coming, the sky must have looked exactly the same. Seven times Elijah told his servant to look toward the sea. Then in the middle of the beautiful blue sky, a cloud appeared, the size of a man's hand, rising from the Mediterranean Sea, and it poured! God put an exclamation point in this wonderful demonstration of his power!

    Elijah stood up against evil, not just to show the power of the God he served. He stood up to evil to bring the people of Israel back to God. His "swagger", his confidence in the power of God, was all he needed and he knew when the people witnessed these amazing miracles, they would turn back to God.  

What am I doing to bring people back to God? Do I have the faith, the confidence, in God that he will show his power like he did on Mount Carmel? The God we serve is the same God that Elijah worshipped. Yet, we are reluctant to take the chance, standing against the evil all around us. 

Dear Heavenly Father, forgive me for my weak faith. Fill my heart with your Spirit that I might bring others back to you. Give me boldness and confidence to share your message of hope with people that are hurting and are lost. I pray your power will be displayed through me, just like it was displayed through Elijah. I love you Lord and I want nothing more than to serve you! Amen!

The Jezreel Valley looking south from on top of Mount Carmel. Mount Tabor and Mount Moreh in the background.

The valley of Jezreel is a very fertile valley and also a valley that has seen many battles throughout the Old Testament and after. Gideon vs Midianites, Saul vs Philistines are just a couple of the battles that took place here. 

 On top of Mount Carmel stands The Stella Maris Monastery. The grounds are beautiful and very peaceful.