Fire and Stones
Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 18:30-39
The fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.
When our oldest son was in grade two, every student was given a topic to study in depth for the whole school year. His teacher assigned him the topic “rocks and gems.” Immediately he began collecting rocks. Soon there were little piles of rocks everywhere. Whenever I tried to thin out the collection, he noticed right away! Today there are still little collections of rocks all over our house. Our son’s fascination with rocks was partly that they were indestructible and invincible. They weren’t like other toys that could be broken. Rocks were permanent.
This is why stones are used for many purposes; they are durable and can be used to build structures that will last a long time.
So you can imagine the astonishment of all the witnesses when Elijah called out to the living God, and the God of heaven and earth responded by sending down fire that didn’t just burn up the sacrifice on the altar, but also consumed the wood, the stones, the soil, and the water! What extraordinary power God demonstrated! That’s why the people cried out, “The Lord—he is God!” Without a doubt, the one who created the creatures, wood, stones, soil, and water can also show that there is nothing he cannot do. And whatever God chooses to do ultimately points to his authority over all things.
God, you are the Lord of heaven and earth. We are in awe of your power. May your kingdom continue to come here on earth and open our eyes to see you. In Jesus, Amen.
About the author — Julia Prins Vanderveen
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