God Acts on Your Behalf

Do you think the Lord is going to sit by passively and let the devil do to you what he pleases? If God didn’t act on your behalf when you needed him, he would be nothing more than the false god Baal. 

In 1 Kings, Elijah has a showdown with the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel, where an altar was built. The test was that the god who answers prayer will be God! Elijah prayed that fire would fall supernaturally on the sacrifice he laid on the altar, and that is exactly what happened. 

Before Elijah’s prayer was answered, though, the prophets of Baal danced from morning till noon, crying, begging and pleading with their god to answer. “So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, ‘O Baal, hear us!’ But there was no voice; no one answered…” (1 Kings 18:26, NKJV).

Elijah mocked those false prophets by saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened” (1 Kings 18:27). Elijah was saying, “Where is your god? Is he on vacation? Is he sleeping? He must be out walking somewhere.” 

We could make the same mockery of God if he did not answer when we prayed. You see, his honor is at stake when we pray, and he will not be mocked for not answering. The Bible says: “He will not allow your foot to be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:3-4). Our God is awake at all times, and he is attentive to our every need. “They draw near who follow after wickedness; they are far from your law. You are near, O Lord, and all your commandments are truth” (Psalm 119:150-151).

The glorious truth in this passage can change your life, bringing you peace and giving you rest beyond anything you have yet experienced. Once you understand the truth of God’s constant nearness to you, that he loves you and is continually near you, all fear and anxiety must go.