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In 1 Kings 18, a real battle takes place between the Lord God and the idol god Baal. The lone prophet Elijah squares off against 450 prophets of Baal (v. 22). When I was a child, this epic battle was one of my favorite stories in Scripture. A lone servant stands against hundreds of enemies, and the Lord’s might comes down as an all-consuming fire. The victorious power of the one true God is on display. Yet sometimes in a very well-known passage, we can miss how much is really taking place. For this clash between two parties is not just a battle. We also see two worship services simultaneously taking place throughout this exchange. The prophets of Baal worship a cruel god, as they leap, scream, and cut themselves (vv. 26–28). In contrast, Elijah leads a rather ordinary worship service that ends in an extraordinary way.
The first ordinary aspect of Elijah’s worship begins with a call to the people in verse 30. As he prepares to offer a sacrifice to the Lord, he calls the people to gather around. Immediately after the call to worship, Elijah proclaims the word of the Lord. He points God’s people to His promises, as he states that “Israel shall be your name” (v. 31). Elijah then begins to prepare an altar for an offering to the Lord (vv. 32–35). Offerings were priorities in worship for atonement and thanksgiving. We even see the importance of timing in Elijah’s worship (v. 36). He calls for the offering to be received at the time of the offering. Our Lord, greater than time itself (Rev. 1:8), would appoint specific times for feasts, sacrifices, and worship for His people. Here, Elijah follows timing that the Lord had given. The final ordinary aspect of worship comes in Elijah’s prayers (1 Kings 18:36–39). With these concluding words of prayer, we also see a dialogue in worship taking place. Elijah leads prayers in verses 36 and 37, the Lord answers in verse 38, and the people respond with a prayer in verse 39.
Between these two prayers we find an extraordinary moment in this worship service. The presence of the Lord descends in a powerful fire and consumes the offering (v. 38). The consuming fire is certainly an extraordinary event, but God’s presence also teaches us an important truth regarding ordinary worship: God meets with us each and every Lord’s Day when we gather with His people to worship Him. We have no need to call for fire to descend from above. The all-consuming fire of our God calls us to worship Him. The Holy Spirit is present with the living Word, the Father hears the prayers of His people, and we join with our ascended Savior when we come to feast at His table. Though we may face many battles throughout our Christian lives, we must not forget that worship continues even amid the conflicts. We belong to “a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:28–29).