Away from the office

Thank you for your inquiry.  I am away from the office.  If your message requires a reply, sorry, I won’t be there for you.  -Baal

This is pretty much the answer King Ahab and the prophets of Baal and Asherah received when they were challenged by God’s prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 18:17-40.

Elijah told the king and his false prophets to meet him on Mt. Carmel with all of Israel to prove to them who was the one true God.  Elijah and the false prophets built altars and put sacrifices on them, but Elijah also soaked his with water and dug a trench around it and filled it with water too.  The false prophets began to cry out to their “god” and dance around their altar.  They did this from morning until noon (1 Kings 18:26), after that Elijah mocked them saying things like:  “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened” (1 Kings 18:27)

The Bible says they continued like this until evening. Verse 29 says, “No one answered; no one paid attention.”  Now it was Elijah’s turn.

Elijah prayed to God, and God sent fire so strong that it consumed not only the offering and the wood, but the altar and dust and all the water that he poured over it.  Someone certainly paid attention to Elijah’s prayer.

So remember, God is always there for us, no matter the time of day or night.  Having a bad day?  Ask God for help.  Having a good day?  Tell God about it.  Got a problem at work/school/home?  God will be there for you.  When God told Abraham in Genesis 15:1: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield”, He didn’t leave office hours!  And when He told Isaiah in Isaiah 41:10; “Fear not, for am with you”, He didn’t say only on nights and weekends!  He is ALWAYS there for us!