Wednesday, February 9, 2011

The Power of One

A few weeks ago I preached a sermon on a contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. It still resonates in my mind when I think of what took place. The goal was for each side to build an altar, offer a sacrifice, and see whose God can bring fire upon the sacrifice. Elijah was contending against 450 prophets of Baal. It was obviously lopsided with Elijah standing to be ridiculed if he lost.

Yet, Elijah won out - he was only one person praying to his God- and fire came down.

Sometimes we might wonder if our solitary prayer will have any power. Can God tune into me as one of 6.8 billion people on this planet? On top of that, amid my own weaknesses and shortcomings, will God be moved to do what I ask?

It's hard be alone. However, we really are not alone. With God we have all the power we need. We only need to be willing to offer pray and believe what God can do. Maybe when no one else can find a solution to a problem or doesn't offer to pray - maybe you are the one called to step up to the plate to pray.