Over the years my wife has worked with me on being a better cook. What at first seemed a mystery that I could never fathom has become something I can approach with a bit more comfort, even though I still do not embrace it with passion.
After a few inedible results Peggy pointed out the most important aspect of being a good cook – follow the recipe. I had often assumed that if you simply threw all the parts together and cooked it, the cake or pot roast or meatloaf or whatever would come out fine. Many recipes present the ingredients and the process in a specific order because it is essential for good results to follow the steps precisely.
Many people have that same attitude in rituals of faith – do this, do this, THEN do that and God will respond. In today’s passage the famed prophet Elijah is going against 450 prophets of Baal, a pagan god. The contest begins in 1 Kings 18:23 and involves a test to see if the priests of Baal or Elijah can get a sacrifice to be consumed by fire.
How many stones did Elijah use? What did they represent? What did he put around the altar? What did he do with the bull? How many times was water poured on the offering?
What was the last thing Elijah did (verses 36-37)? How did God respond?
What a tremendous story of faith! What an incredible story of God’s power and faithfulness to those who believe! But it can be easy to assume that all Elijah did was a specific ritual, an exact rite to gain a specific result. Twelve stones for the tribes of Israel, a trench of specific measurements, three dousings of water – these can be seen as ingredients necessary to make God respond.
But what prompted God’s response was not the ritual of erecting a soggy altar. What prompted God’s response was faith and prayer. Elijah worked with confidence because he had the faith that God would show Himself so the people would stop following the wrong spiritual path. More effective than the number of stones or the water being poured on three times was the prayer. Elijah turned to God in faith and prayed.
There is nothing wrong with rites and rituals. There is nothing wrong in taking comfort in worshiping in a certain way. Elijah, I am sure, used twelve stones not for magical power but for his own symbolic and spiritual motivation.
Rites and rituals are fine as long as we do not give them too much credit, too much power, too much credence. What is essential is our faith and our communion with God in whatever form we give it. Faith and prayer will give us results.
DAILY CHALLENGE: Think of a ritual you may employ in your own worship, private or public. Be certain you know why you are doing it, and not just how to do it.
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