Elijah Defeats the Prophets of Baal

Text: Deuteronomy 13:1-11

Reflection and Question: When I really need strength, I pop in the CD of Mendelssohn’s oratorio “Elijah” in my car, filling my heart with Elijah’s stunning defeat of the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. Here the silence shouts after the pleas of the Baal worshipers, “there was no voice, no answer, no response.” But then the orchestra and chorus crescendo, after Elijah’s prayer, as the fire descends to devour the wood, the stones, the dust and even the water. And my faith in the power of God in Christ rises to sustain me another day. What Biblical passages sustain your faith and inner strength?

Prayer: Eternal God of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, let it be known this day that You are God, that we are Your servants, and that what we do, we do at Your bidding. Answer our prayers, so that we may know that You are God. Amen.

This meditation is based on the Daily Lectionary Year 1 from the Book of Common Worship for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (1993).