Elijah’s Prayer
Elijah prays that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel would make His identity plain and show that Elijah has acted in obedience. He asks for an answer that will turn the people’s hearts back.
A36t the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command. 37Answer me, O LORD! Answer me, so that this people will know that You, the LORD, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back again.”
The LORD’s fire falls and consumes everything before the altar, even the stones, dust, and water. The people confess the LORD as God, and Elijah orders the capture and slaughter of Baal’s prophets.
38Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench. 39When all the people saw this, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!” 40Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.