This is a simplified version of the Bible story found in 1 Kings 18, written for children to understand. For the original version, please refer to the Bible passage.
Once upon a time, there was a man named Elijah who spoke for God. It hadn’t rained in the land for three years, and everything was very dry and hot. Elijah knew that God wanted to send rain, so God told him to go to the king, Ahab, and tell him that he needed to follow God’s commands or else there would be consequences.
Ahab was the king of Israel, but he didn’t always do what God wanted him to do. He was married to a woman named Jezebel, who encouraged him to worship false gods and idols instead of the one true God. Elijah knew that Ahab needed to understand that God was the only true God, so he asked Ahab to gather all the people together, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who ate at Jezebel’s table.
Elijah challenged the people to see which God was real by calling down fire from heaven to burn up a sacrifice. The prophets of Baal went first. They put a bull on an altar and called on their god to light the fire, but nothing happened. Elijah even mocked them, saying their god must be busy going to the bathroom or something. The prophets of Baal cut themselves and cried out, but their god didn’t answer.
Then it was Elijah’s turn. He repaired an altar to God that had been thrown down, and he put a bull on it. He told the people to pour water all over it, even though there was a drought and water was scarce. Elijah prayed to God, and then fire came down from heaven and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, and the stones. The people knew that God was real and they fell down to worship Him.
Elijah told the people to capture the false prophets, and they did. Then, he told Ahab to go eat and drink because he heard the sound of rain coming. Ahab did as Elijah said, and then Elijah went to pray on a mountain. He sent his servant to look out for rain seven times, and on the seventh time, a small cloud appeared in the sky. Elijah told Ahab to get ready to leave before the rain stopped him. Then, it started to pour rain, and Ahab went back home.
Biblical Lessons
- God is the one true God, and we should follow and worship Him.
- God can do amazing things, even when it seems impossible.
- We should trust and obey God, even when it’s hard.
- God’s power is greater than any false gods or idols.
- Even when things seem impossible, God has a plan.
Related Stories
Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath