Altar of Fire

1 Kings 18:24, 36-39 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the One Who answers by fire, let Him be God. And all the people answered, It is well spoken.

At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and that I have done all these things at Your word. ³⁷ Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You, the Lord, are God, and have turned their hearts back [to You].³⁸ Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice and the wood and the stones and the dust, and also licked up the water that was in the trench.³⁹ When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and they said, The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God! (1 Kings 18:24, 36-39 AMPC)

It’s no coincidence that the Lord distinguished the prayers of Elijah from those of the idol worshippers of Baal with fire. Scripture records that our God is a Consuming Fire (Hebrews 12:29); that He came down on Mount Sinai in fire (Exodus 19:18); and that the Glory of the Lord appears to be a Devouring Fire (Exodus 24:17). Just as the Lord distinguished Elijah’s prayers from the idol worshippers of his day, so the Lord distinguished the prayers of the 120 followers of Jesus who found themselves waiting in prayer. Acts 2:1-4 And when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all assembled together in one place,² When suddenly there came a sound from heaven like the rushing of a violent tempest blast, and it filled the whole house in which they were sitting.³ And there appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were separated and distributed and which settled on each one of them.⁴ And they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other (different, foreign) languages (tongues), as the Spirit kept giving them clear and loud expression [in each tongue in appropriate words].(AMPC)

As the 120 climbed the steps to the upper room the eyes of their heart were fixed on the Promise – the Promise of the Holy Spirit and Power. John the Baptist, and Jesus spoke of this Baptism of Fire. Thus Jesus’ disciples climbed the mountain of God through their prayers as Moses ascended Mount Sinai centuries before. As bowed at the Throne of God they made that room of disappointment, and sorrow an altar of loud cries, and tears. It didn’t take long until God answered with Fire. From the Altar of God’s Holy of Holies lives were transformed into living altars of His Presence. Through their ascent the reign of Jesus’ Kingdom was ushered in by the outpouring of the Spirit. It is no coincidence that when Elijah confronted the idolatry of his day he went on the promise of rain: After many days, the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth. (1 Kings 18:1)

In our spiritual drought of plague, fear, locusts, fire and famine may the people of God be found making themselves an altar of prayer crying out for Jesus’ Reign to come with a fresh outpouring of the Water of Life – His Holy Spirit. May we cry out with Michael W. Smith, and all the other singers, musicians and levites, “Let It Rain! Open the Floodgates of Heaven!”