Stand Close

By Steve Clark

March 26, 2026

1 Kings 18:21 …if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him…

You can expect that God will get your attention! So why? Because many of us face a spiritual issue called “lack of attention.” We get distracted too easy sometimes. He may speak in that still, small voice that Elijah heard, or he may knock you out of your seat, like He did Saul on the road to Damascus.

We must ask ourselves this question—Is God going to have to send a lightning strike to get my attention?

In our passage, God trying to get King Ahab’s attention. The king and his ungodly wife Jezebel had brought all kinds of pagan worship practices to Israel. The result was God withheld the rain for three years! There was no food, and the people were starving. But the king was not phased.

God’s attention-getting came into play! It came on Mount Carmel where Elijah challenged the 450 priests of Baal. God was not only going to get the king’s attention, but all of Israel. It’s showtime at the OK Carmel, and God is going to get their attention!

How does this apply to us? Most of us want to avoid hard choices. We like to stay neutral. But God’s attention-getters force us to make choices and push us to choose whom we will serve.

Look at how Elijah worded it in verse 21. They were doing what is very common today. They were trying to keep one foot in the world and the other foot with the Lord. And that’s the struggle! If you do that, you will go nowhere.

Elijah has it right, “if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.” Stand close to the Lord and follow in His power and not your own.

Reflection—How long halt ye? How many more sermons? How many more Sundays? How many more warnings?