Next, we come to perhaps the best known story from the life of Elijah - it's the kind of story that gets (partially) told in Sunday school and holiday clubs. There's suspense, action, humour and lots of potential for good craft activities! It's the story from 1 Kings 18 of Elijah on Mount Carmel with the prophets of Baal.
Battle lines are drawn on the mountain, and at the start of the day it looks as if Elijah and his God are on one side; and all the people, the king, and the prophets of Baal and Asherah are on the other.
And the task for the day for each team is to first of all build and altar, sacrifice a bull on top and then call on the name of either Baal or God and see who answers with fire. Ever the gentleman, Elijah allows the 450 prophets of Baal to go first. After several hours of unsuccessful calling on Baal, during which they have lost their voices, got tired legs from dancing and jumping around, slashed themselves with spears and swords...still nothing. Elijah suggests that maybe Baal is asleep or maybe travelling - suggesting that they shout louder - still nothing.
Then Elijah suggests that he has a go, and builds his altar, kills the cow, digs a trench, pours 12 large jars of water over it so that even the trench is filled, and prays a simple and short prayer. And the fire falls from heaven, consuming everything, including the water. And the people turn their hearts back to God and worship him.
James 5:17 tells us that Elijah was human, just like us, and therefore we should have faith when we pray. But I doubt many of us will have had such a dramatic and public answer to prayer as this one on Mount Carmel. But God does answer prayer, he continues to work miracles. He is not asleep or travelling or otherwise occupied. So we pray to a God who hears, a God who is in control, a God who is working out his good purposes in us and through us.
We might expect this event to boost Elijah's faith to super levels, but as we shall see tomorrow the opposite is true. He plunges from the mountain top into despair and fear.
