I Kings 18 - Elijah is sent back to Israel.. to Ahab.. to restore the rain, and to restore the people of Israel back to God. 

This dramatic display of God's power is.. majestic, powerful, amazing.. and merciful... 

All Israel is summoned to Mount Carmel -  the 450 prophets of Baal are also summoned.  

Two bulls are presented.

Two altars are prepared. 

Two sacrifices are offered. 

The prophets of Baal went first.  They laid out their sacrifice.  They offered their prayers.  They cried out. They pleaded. They jumped up and down. They cut themselves.  They shouted all day long.. . "But no voice came, no one answered, no one paid attention." ( v29) 

As the time of the evening offering approached, Elijah stepped up to the plate... 

He rebuilt a broken down altar with 12 stones. 

He "arranged the wood, cut up the bull and laid it on the wood."  He had the men drench the altar, the wood, and the bull with water, three times.. until the whole trench that he had dug around the altar overflowed with water. 

Then Elijah prayed. "Adonai, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that you are God is Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your Word.  Hear me, Adonai, hear me, so that this people may know that you, Adonai, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back to You." ( v36-37)

"Then the fire of Adonai fell."  The people saw it and fell on their faces as the bull, the wood, the water, and the stones.. and even the dust .. everything was consumed.  

 Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 4:23 - 24 " So watch yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which He made with you, and make for yourselves a graven image in the form of anything against which the Lord your God has commanded you. For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."

The writer of Hebrews echoes this truth -  "Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.. " ( 12: 28-29) 

Gratitude - for an unshakable kingdom of our Unshakable God. The evilest king in all of Israel could not shake God or Elijah, the Lord's servant.  We serve this same God.. who will one day consume all of heaven and earth as we know it. He will judge the wicked and they will not escape, even as the priests of Baal did not escape Elijah.  

Gratitude - because our God has turned our hearts back to Him, in spite of everything.. and has brought us, who trust in Jesus Christ the Savior.. into His unshakeable Kingdom of Light. 

Thank You Father, we exalt Your Holy Name, for You are the Living God and there is NO other. Be near to us this day as we offer thank offerings from grateful hearts.. not for food that perishes.. but for the Bread of Life, the Living Water, the Savior, Jesus Christ, through whom we come to bring our offerings of thanks.. in His Blessed Name we pray. amen.