In the time of the prophet Elijah, people often called the Mount Carmel area “The Garden of the Lord” because of its abundant rain and harvests. However, Sunday school teachers often concentrate their teaching of Mount Carmel on a story that portrays it as being an Old Testament spiritual combat zone-not a garden.
As my tour bus left the city of Haifa and chugged its way up the mountain to the battle site, we anticipated a peaceful tour of the Order of Our Lady Carmelite Monastery. In the twelfth century AD Saint Berthold, a hermit monk, founded this Order at the traditional site of prophet Elijah’s fire-starting victory. It’s housed on Mount Carmel’s summit just off the road to the town of Muhraka (place of burning).
A tranquil garden surrounded the Carmelite Monastery, but the glistening, white-marble statue of Elijah that dominated the courtyard featured a stern-faced Elijah wielding a short, two-edged sword. The sword is raised high over his head, ready to strike a mortal blow to the hapless prophet of Baal writhing under his foot.
Mount Carmel-a sacred mountain. A place of sanctuary and worship. A place where God displayed his power and majesty in the fiery lighting bolt that ignited the prophet Elijah’s sacrificial bull. The altar wood turned to ash; the twelve stones vanished; the water that had been poured on and around the altar vaporized; the blazing flames consumed the soil around the sacrifice. Through it all, the cold carcass pieces of Baal’s sacrificial bull remained a silent witness to the futility of depending on any power but God’s.
Although God provided the fire to win this battle, the prophet Elijah would soon face Queen Jezebel–a battle from which he fled. But God didn’t forsake him. Instead, God confronted him during his lack of faith, showed him compassion and mercy, and helped him overcome his fear.
We, like the prophet Elijah, all face our own spiritual battles-battles in which Satan tries to depict God as powerless. Like Elijah, we can trust God with every battle. We can pray for God’s strength to overcome any temptation, any weakness, and any thought Satan would use to make us doubt God’s power. And we can win the battle.
Bible Verse: “Answer me, O LORD . . . so that the people will know that you . . . are God.”1 Kings 18:37
Prayer: Dear God, we fight spiritual battles every day-battles in which we need your power to be victorious. Help us to turn to you in our time of need. Amen.