“…The god who answers by fire… he is God” (1 Kings 18:24).
What do you do when you need rain, but instead God answers by fire? In 1 Kings 18, Elijah declares to the people that God is going to show up and prove Himself after 3 years of drought. And God does exactly that.
But instead of sending rain, God sent fire. Now you would think that after a 3-year drought that God would send water to the land – not fire on an already scorched earth. Right? I mean, what is God up to?
Are you praying for one thing, but something else comes?
- Praying for God’s provision, but your bank account gets smaller
- Praying for a new job, but you lose the one you’ve got. Now what?
- Praying for God to heal your marriage, but more unresolved conflict rises to the surface
- Praying for a door to open, instead they all slam shut
It can be difficult to trust the intentions of God when He is forecasting more fire at a time when you really need rain.
Remember this. God did eventually send rain to Israel, but it was only after His fire fell. Through fire He established His sovereignty over Israel and idols were destroyed in the land.
God may be sending fire into your life to purify you… to incinerate your altars of idolatry… and to burn away the false securities we tend to place our trust in. That way, when the sky finally opens, and the rain begins to pour, it falls on fertile ground – your purified heart.