"O BAAL, ANSWER US!"

Dearly Beloved, "O BAAL, ANSWER US!" "So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. `O Baal, answer us!' they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made" (1 Kings 18:26 NIV). The story of the contest between Prophet Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel to decide the true God is a fascinating one. The people of Israel under the leadership of King Ahab and his wicked wife Jezebel had abandoned the worship of the living God for Baal, one of the fertility gods of Canaan (see 1 Kings 16:30-33). Jezebel had even tried to exterminate all the prophets of the living God from the land (see 1 Kings 18:4). After God had proved through Elijah that He is the only one that can bring fertility, Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest to determine the true God. The contest was that each side would prepare a sacrifice and call on his god (or God) to send fire to consume the sacrifice. Because of their large number, the prophets of Baal firstly took their turn. They cried to Baal, their god, to answer them from morning till evening, but there was no response. They did all they could do to get response from Baal, but he did not respond. Even the jests of Elijah could not make him to save his adherents from the disgrace of their lives. Elijah on his turn did not have to task himself much after he had repaired his altar and filled it with water before the living God answered him and consumed his sacrifice by fire. Many of us are acting like those prophets of Baal today. We have abandoned the living God for worldly things, and we are expecting those things to give unto us what only God can give. We look unto things like money, occupation, time, sports, pleasure, reputation, position, children, spouse, or even our own self instead of God to give us enjoyment, protection and security. We have placed more priority on these things to the extent that God has been relegated to the obscurity. And we can do anything to get what we want from these "Baals," though most of the time they disappoint us at the crucial moment of our life. If you do not want to be disappointed, stop crying to these "Baals" and turn to God. He is the only "refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1 NIV). In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). Prayer Point: Help me, Lord, not to put my trust in people and mundane things. ________________ Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor) +447438782552