Text: 1 Kings 19:1-15a

Elijah, a mighty prophet of God despaired at a time that should have been his peak moment of celebration. He had clearly and publicly triumphed over his enemies by having a showdown of sorts to reveal whose God was real. His or the false prophets of his time.

The test was simple. Dozens of false prophets were to place a sacrifice on their altar, surround it with wood, but could not light it. They could only call upon their God to consume the offering. Elijah was then to do the same. The false prophets began and pleaded to their false God’s and nothing happened. Elijah taunted them as they failed.

Then it was Elijah’s turn. Only Elijah made the test even harder by drenching the offering, altar, and wood around it with gallons of water. When he called upon God, God not only consumed the offering but the altar as well.

This was a triumphal moment. Despite the irrefutable proof though, the political rulers did not believe and decided to kill Elijah. He was beside himself. He went on the run. He could not run from God though. God spoke to Elijah in his despair and gave him hope.

In this power filled story, two questions that eventually seem to confront all us arise.

1. What is a enough evidence to believe?  Elijah’s proof seemed irrefutable, but nevertheless some people chose not to believe. In this sermon, you’ll discover just how much is enough.
2. When powerful people sought to kill Elijah he despaired and fled. He found himself wondering, “Why me?” In this sermon, we’ll also tackle this age old question which we all my wonder about when life gets tough.

We hope this sermon is a blessing to you. Please come and visit us for worship any Sunday at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. If you’re curious about what to expect your first visit, then check out our welcome video. 

For other upcoming activities, check out our events page.