GREAT FAITH, GREAT COURAGE

How much faith and courage did it take for international workers to come to Vietnam or a variety of other foreign countries a century ago? A long slow boat (not a cruise ship) ride; very slow land travel; no language school or qualified tutor; no modern health care; no AC; no bottled water; often no other believers within a day's travel. Great faith and great courage.
This week I chipped a tooth and got a dental appointment within 24 hours at a western style dental clinic. There I found well trained dentists and dental assistants plus state of the art X-ray and dental equipment. How easy for me if I have dental problems here. How absolutely different for International Workers a century, even 50 years ago.

However what really got me thinking about great faith and courage was reading I Kings 18 early this morning. Elijah was told by God to confront the evil king, Ahab. In response Elijah told the king to gather thousands of Israelites whose loyalty to God seemed less than their commitment to idol worship; and 850 prophets of two major false gods. They all came together on Mount Carmel.
Elijah stood before the king and this great crowd seemingly alone. He challenged the people to decide which god they would serve. He challenged the priests to a religious "duel". "Your gods against my God! Which one can send fire from heaven to burn up an sacrificial offering?" Whose god should the people of Israel worship?
Think of it: simply standing in front of a hostile king, 850 hostile prophets and thousands of people who weren't sure what they believed took huge courage. Most of us find it difficult to stand up to one or two hostile people. But Elijah stood courageously alone and challenged them all.
He mocked the prophets as their gods failed to answer and send fire. They tried desperately for hours to get a response by shouting, dancing and even cutting themselves. When all their attempts had failed, Elijah calmly ordered that his offering be soaked, saturated with water; so much water that it seemed impossible for a fire to even start; certainly not to burn the wood and dead animal.
Then in front of the large crowd, Elijah stepped back and called on God to send fire "so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again."

Great faith and great courage is rewarded with a great miracle. What a great God. What a phenomenal spiritual and emotional high Elijah experienced. I can only imagine. And then from that soaring mountain top experience this courageous man of faith slides into severe spiritual and emotional depression. Shocking, and yet so very human.
What happened next is just as impressive as what happened on Mount Carmel. We will look at it tomorrow.