By ‘defining moment’ I am referring to an event, a decision, an incident that shaped or altered your life. We all have them and the extent to which they impact our lives often depends on how they alter our life. These events may occur as a result of hard work and determination. These events may occur as a result of no fault of your own. You may welcome these events in your life. You may regret them. Whatever the case may be who we are today is a direct result of those events.

Some examples of what I call defining moments are:

Often these events impact not only yourself but your family and friends as well. They are events that cause an emotional response of excitement and fear. They are events that require us to consider all the facts and options and to make the best decision based on those facts and our faith in God.

This morning’s Old Testament story is a defining moment in God’s relationship to humanity.  It is right up there with Abram’s decision to blindly obey God’s call to follow Him, to Israel’s call to follow Moses and leave Egypt and cross the Red Sea, to the transfiguration of Jesus.

This morning’s story depicts the prophet Elijah challenging the prophets of Baal to a battle to prove one thing and one thing only.

Why is Elijah doing this?  Is he trying to win bragging rights, that his God is better than their god?  Is he trying to impress people of his power?

The answer is absolutely no to both. Elijah has a great love for his people Israel. His love is prompted and motivated by God’s love for him and the Israelites. His heart is broken because he has seen that the Israelites are mixing their allegiance and their beliefs with the pagan god Baal.  This is evident in vs. 21

His heart was further broken by their response.

After watching the futile efforts of the prophets of Baal all day. Elijah rebuilt the altar, dug a trench, arranged the wood, cut the bull in half, poured twelve large vats of water on the bull offering and then prayed,

Immediately the bull, the wood, the stones, the water were consumed by fire.

Elijah offered a short and simple prayer, yet a prayer similar to the prayers of Daniel, David and other patriarchs and prophets. Elijah offered a prayer that you and I need to pray when we are faced with life’s situations

Elijah offered a prayer of intercession. He is interceding for the people of Israel. He is interceding not because they are worthy, not because they are deserving of prayer. After all they are

‘wavering between two opinions’

Between following two gods, God and baal.

Elijah offered this prayer at great personal expense.  He is putting not only God on the line.  He is putting himself, his believe, his trust on the line.

Elijah offered a prayer, praying for one thing and one thing only, that the will of God be done.  Elijah prayed in the will of God.  He prayed for the fulfillment of the will of God.

Elijah offered a prayer for God’s sake.

“Let it be known today that you are God.”

Let everyone see undisputable evidence of your glory, your power, and your sovereignty.

Elijah offered a prayer appealing to God on the basis of God’s righteousness. He didn’t say God do this for me because.  He did try to bargain with God.  He made his petition to God based solely on God’s character, on who God is.

“O Lord, God of Abraham,
Isaac and Israel,
let it be known today that you are God.”

This is the way that you and I need to pray when we are faced with our own life defining moments.  We can have faith that whatever God commands us to do, God will provide what we need to carry it through.

I am very much aware that most of you are greatly concerned about the proposals that the consistory will be presenting to the congregation this morning at the congregational meeting.  Even though the exact nature and rational of the proposal have not been revealed the proposals have already caused great concern and fear.  I believe everyone’s concern is caused by the same reason that Elijah had concern for the Israelites that is that we love God and we love this church.  It is because of this love that we need to pray in the same spirit that Elijah prayed. Praying that God will use this church, that God will use each one of us to let it be known that God is God.

As I said earlier every life defining moment requires great prayer and thoughtful consideration of the facts, ultimately resulting in seeking and doing God’s will.  In closing this morning I would like to offer the following analogy in hopes that it will help us as we wrestle with our own personal life defining moments and the church’s.

Someone you love comes to you and asks for your advice. He tells you that he has just come from the doctor. The doctor has informed him that the tests he had undergone revealed that he has a certain disease.  This disease and his condition leave him two options. The first option is to do nothing. The second option is to have the radical surgery.

If he chooses option one, the disease will slowly progress and it will lead to his death. The second option is to have surgery and undergo extensive therapy and it will lead to complete health.

What advice would you give him?

I don’t knowwhat you would say, but given the facts that my loved one just gave me I would advice him to choose option two. Why would I suggest option two?  Because I love him and I want to see him well and I want to see his life prolonged, because my faith in God affirms life and the desire to live it abundantly and because I have God to whom I can boldly pray as Elijah did,

What ever challenge that life presents us with, whether big or small lets boldly pray as our ancestors did praying at great personal expense, praying in the will of God, praying for God’s sake, praying on the basis of God’s righteousness.

 AMEN