Page 22 - HowTo'sOfChristianLife

Expectantly believing the promise of God is expressing faith with-
out which, as Hebrews 11:6 says, “It is impossible to please Him.”

You should have great expectations when it comes to hearing God
speak. Expectancy is based on reliability. When Elijah confronted
the 450 prophets of Baal, he did so with a boldness that seemed to
border on downright insolence.

They just thought he was a crazy man. After mocking the false
prophets who were unable to call down fire from heaven to con-
sume the prepared sacrifice of oxen, Elijah took his turn. You can
almost imagine the smug grin on his face as he readied himself
to call upon the God of Israel. Before he did so, however, he had
someone pour four pitchers of water on the wood and oxen.

For good measure, he had them drench the wood with four more
pitchers of water. And just in case anyone thought it wasn’t wet
enough, he added another four, so the water ran all around the
altar. And he also filled the trench with water as I Kings 18:35 says.

Was he expecting God to answer? You bet he was! He knew Who
the living, true God was because he had already witnessed His
power at work in bringing the widow of Zarepheth’s son back to life.
He had seen God’s provision for her in supernaturally replenishing
the bowl of flour and the jar of oil.

Elijah expected God to answer because He had faithfully responded
in the past. Elijah’s God is also your God. And His reliability hasn’t
altered one iota. So come to Him expectantly. Listen expectantly.

2. Listen quietly

The Psalmist said, “Be still and know that I am God.”

To listen to God, be quiet and let Him do the talking. Too many Christians,
when they pray, simply spout a list of requests then get up and walk
off. Instead of listening to God, they only report their requests to Him.

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