Day Two: The Spirit and Power of Elijah

Read Luke 1:15-17 and make it personal by turning it into a prayer.

15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

What does it mean to herald God's arrival in the spirit and strength or power of Elijah?  Elijah was a prophet of God who lived during a time when evil was prevalent.  Ahab, son of Omri, was king of Israel.  And, it says in I Kings 16:30-33 (NIV) that "Ahab did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him...he married Jezebel...and began to serve Baal and worship him...and did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him."  But, Elijah wasn't afraid to confront Ahab, and he did on numerous occasions.

Elijah was called a holy man in I Kings 17:24 (MSG), and it was said of him, "When you speak, GOD speaks - a true word!"  Elijah was obedient to God and wasn't afraid to stand up against the enemies of God!  In fact, he once presented himself to Ahab, in response to a word from the LORD, and challenged him in I Kings 18.  In verse 19, he asked the king to summon the people from all over Israel to meet him on Mount Carmel, and he said, "be sure and bring all the prophets of Baal and Asherah (950 in all) who eat at Jezebel's table."  Elijah stood alone (vs. 22) against the enemies of Yahweh and was willing to put his faith to the test.  

Imagine the courage of Elijah in the midst of probably thousands of people as the false prophets called on their gods to send down fire on their altar in vain; and then the display of power and authority he exerted as he called on the name of the LORD.

Listen to his prayer that day, "O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done these things at Your command.  Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that You, O LORD, are God, and that You are turning their hearts back again." (vs. 36b-37)  

This is the spirit and the power of Elijah!  "Then 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 all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, 'The LORD - He is God!  The LORD - He is God!'" (vs. 38-39)

Oh that God would give us the spirit of Elijah today!  The courage to hate what God hates and the power to do battle in prayer against the "spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12b)."  May the fire of the LORD fall and consume our sacrifice of praise this Christmas season.  And when all the people see this, may the lost respond, "The LORD - He is God!  The LORD - He is God!"