The Storm: Elijah & The Altar

When Elijah set out to bring the Israelites back to a right relationship with God after many years of worshipping Baal and 3 ½ years of no rain, he knew he would have to start back at the very beginning. Things were so bad that in 1 Kings 18:21, they couldn’t even answer the prophets straight forward call to repentance. They would have to be shown the great power of God and that He was the One and Only True God. In this great showdown, Elijah finally has the chance to show the people the Only True God. In vs. 30, Elijah begins to rebuild the altar of the Lord. Obviously when Elijah chose Mt. Carmel, he chose it for a very specific reason: to bring the people back to a place where they had once worshipped, prayed and fellowshipped with the God of Israel. In a simply act of gathering together the 12 stones that had been torn down Elijah showed those gathered there that day that there were a very important people, a people with a chosen destiny to show the world around them the power and the grace of their great God, Jehovah. Elijah was showing them and us today, the church today that God is in the business of rebuilding the hearts of his people that have been torn down by Satan and sin. That He is willing to take the hearts that have been away from Him because of our sin and shame and put them back together to fulfill, what our hearts have been created for: a destiny of grace and salvation to a lost world. Yes, our hearts and lives have a destiny of salvation. The Israelites were chosen, not because they were special, but because God had chosen them to demonstrate his love, his care, and his purpose in life. God designed us all for a relationship with Him and Israel was the example and symbol of that great relationship. Today, the church stands in the position. God, through Jesus Christ has repaired our hearts through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. By our faith in Him we are once again placed in the position and destiny of relationship with Jehovah, God! Our purpose, destiny is to show that great love and grace to a world that is suffering because of the draught of grace and love of God. We are his sacrifice to this world to show them His great Grace and Hope! Today, as a destined people show His love to the people around you, your family, your co-workers, to the stranger at the mall, etc. Our destiny is to shine His light to a world of darkness. Show it off!