Turning Hearts Back to God: A Consuming Fire

I stepped into the oversized paws, pulled the furry costume over my legs, and inserted my arms. Yet, I waited until the last second to put the head piece in place, wanting plenty of air for as long as possible.

Feeling a tad claustrophobic, and with limited vision through the mesh eyes, I asked someone to lead me to the designated area. Once we reached our destination, my instructions included: wave, nod, shake hands, give high fives, and pat heads. But no speaking—someone else spoke on my behalf.

So an excited group of pre-schoolers gathered around me to meet Smokey Bear. My son, Caleb, three-years-old at the time, hugged one of my legs. While I patted his head, he remained clueless Mom stood underneath Smokey’s fur, blue jeans, and forestry hat.

Smokey spent the last 75 years telling kids not to play with matches, warning about campfires, and reminding us, Only You Can Prevent Wildfires. 

Although my bear-costume-wearing days ended, I continued to possess a healthy fear of fire.

Fire From Heaven

And one of my favorite Bible stories describes a showdown of epic proportions involving fire from heaven in 1 Kings 18.

King Ahab reigned over Israel. Sent by the Lord, the prophet Elijah told Ahab he troubled all of Israel because he “abandoned the commandments of the LORD and followed the Baals”(1 Kings 18:18b). 

Elijah called for all of Israel to gather at Mount Carmel along with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah (verse 19).

Then, Elijah spoke on God’s behalf.

“And Elijah came near to all the people and said, ‘How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.’ And the people did not answer him a word. Then Elijah said to the people, ‘I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men’” (1 Kings 18:21-22).

Now, for the showdown details.

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