Principles of Biblical Prayer: 1 Kings #21. An exposition of 1 Kings 18:41-45. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, August 16, 2015.
Intro:
Prayer is essential to the Christian life. It is the air we breath, it is the atmosphere in which we live. Prayer is not just something we do or an activity that we engage in. Prayer is woven into the fabric of what it means to be the people of God. We live in communion with the Father. We appeal to our advocate the Lord Jesus. We trust in his intercessory work. We depended on the work of the Holy Spirit to pray when we cannot or do not know how or what to pray. Yet prayer is a difficult thing. None of us pray as we ought. I don’t know anyone who says, “I pray too much.” I don’t know anyone who thinks prayer is an “easy” thing. If you do…you’re not doing it right! When we pray our minds wander. We get sleepy. Time seems to stop. You can stop giving me the, “I’m socked look” you’re not fooling anyone. We are prone to perform when called on to pray publicly. We like to think that our public prayers soar like a magnificent jet. Dazzling those who are lucky enough to be present but truth be told, more often than not, we sputter like a crop duster on its final flight. This evening I want us to consider some principles of biblical prayer tucked away in one of those Old Testament history books. Our text is found in 1 Kings 1 Kings 18 beginning with 1 Kings 18:41.
Text: 1 Kings 18:41-45
Let’s remember the context.
In 1 Kings 17:1 the prophet Elijah bursts on the scene.
There’s no introduction.
No credentials are submitted – he just shows up and verbal slaps the king in the face.
Ahab has ascended the throne and proves to be worse than all who came before.
He and his wife Jezebel introduced Baalism into the institutional heart of the nation.
He built a temple and an altar.
They imported priests.
He lived in defiance of God.
Elijah arrives and says, “As the LORD (Yahweh), God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.”
Then he disappears.
For three years there is no rain.
Water sources dry up.
Crops die.
Cattle die.
People die.
The king and the people are outraged. A massive search is conducted to find Elijah, the troubler of Israel. Then God says to Elijah, “It’s time to show yourself to Ahab. It’s time for it to rain.” However, before it rains God must discredit the so called fertility god, Baal. If it rains the people will think Baal has recovered his power. They must be made to see that Baal is nothing. So there is the “God contest” at Mt. Carmel.
Mt. Carmel is a sacred site for Baalism. Thus Baal is given the home court advantage. The day is set and you have on one side the 450 prophets of Baal and on the other, Elijah. It is agreed both will prepare an altar, make sacrifice, and pray to their god. The God who answers by fire, He is God. The prophets of Baal go first. They prepare the altar, make the sacrifice and pray to Baal. They prayed and prayed. They chanted, mourned, worked themselves into a frenzy. They cut themselves (demonstrating their devotion) but no one answer. There was only silence. This went on all day. Nothing. Now it was Elijah’s turn. He rebuilt the altar of God. Made his sacrifice. Prayed a simple prayer. Fire fell consumed the sacrifice, the altar, licked up the water. This was a bold, decisive, public declaration that Yahweh is God and Baal is nothing!
The prophets of Baal are executed and our text picks up at the 450:41.
Elijah prays again. From this prayer experience I want us to learn that…
Thesis: Biblical prayer is always focused on and centered in the greatness of our God.
There are three (3) principles I want to draw from this text.
- Biblical prayer reminds us that we are nothing but God is everything. (18:42)
- Prayer reminds us that God graciously choses to accomplish His great work through our feeble prayers. (18:1, 41, 43)
- Prayer reminds us that God is always in charge and He will not fit in our box. (18:43-45)