By Emily Hinebauch

In the recent month, I taught on Bible Story telling at Gandep Bible College.  As a part of teaching, I had the responsibility of modeling to my students how to tell a Bible Story, so each morning I would share a Bible story highlighting the theme of our stories for the week, Jesus’ power over Satan.  My second story to tell was Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel.  I have heard this story many times in my lifetime and I have read over and over again, as well as seen it dramatized many different times but I don’t think I will ever understand how great and intimate Elijah’s faith in God’s power over Satan was.  As I was preparing to tell the story I read it multiple times and took time to try to put myself in Elijah’s shoes.  If I were one prophet versus 450 prophets, even though I know without a shadow of a doubt that my God is the only true God, I don’t think I would be quite so bold to taunt 450 prophets as they make their sacrifice.  I am not quite sure I would say anything; I was scared enough just to tell the story of in Tok Pisin to a group of believers.

As I was telling the story, I started building momentum and getting excited about what was happening in the story, almost as if I was hearing it for the first time.  As I danced around an invisible altar as one of the prophets of Baal, screaming if “Baal, answer us,” for proper exaggeration, I of course did this four, five, or six times before I came to the part when Elijah silenced the crowd and drew than to focus on the construction of his altar to God.  He placed the twelve stones, representing the twelve tribes of Israel, than he dug the drench around the base of the twelve stones.  Once the trench rounded the altar, he placed the firewood and the sacrifice on top and called for people to bring four large jars of water.  Once the jars appeared they were poured over the firewood, than filled again, dumped again, filled again and dumped again.  Three times they were filled the jars and dumped them.  The water ran all over the altar and filled the trenches.  This is another point in the story I may have been very skeptical of if I were in Elijah’s shoes.  Would I really have that faith?

At this point in the story Elijah began to pray to our magnificent Father and ask Him to show the line of Israel how great His power really is, Elijah asked God to prove that he had done only as the Lord commanded.  With that prayer said a fire immediately flashed down from heaven and claimed God’s power over Satan.  I am fairly certain if I were Elijah at this point I would be shaking in my boots.  Even though I know God’s that powerful it still would be so overwhelming to be so near such a magnificent showing of His power.  But I think soon my shaking would turn to great rejoicing and I would be dancing around and shouting great cheers to God, being ever so grateful that I serve the one and only true God.  What a blessing to be a part of the family of God! Amen?!
Emily is serving in the area of scripture use and logistics.