Everyone likes a good contest. Whether it is a football game, an Olympic event, or even a spelling bee, people thrive under healthy competition. Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest on top of Mount Carmel. They would each prepare a bull as a burnt offering, and the god who answered by fire would be the true God.

The prophets of Baal went first. They prepared their sacrifice and called on the name of Baal from morning till the evening sacrifice. But no one answered. Even when they cut themselves with knives and danced around the altar, there was no voice and no response.

Now it was Elijah’s turn. He rebuilt the altar using twelve stones to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. His purpose was to bring revival to the entire nation, for they had turned away from the LORD to worship other gods. Then he dug a trench around the altar, piled up wood, and laid the bull in pieces on the wood. Three times he ordered them to fill four large vessels with water and pour them on the offering and the wood until everything was soaked, and the trench filled with water.

Then Elijah prayed one of the greatest prayers in the Bible:

“LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” (1 Kings 18:36–37, NKJV)

This gave Yahweh the opportunity to prove Himself as the one true God and to show that Elijah was His prophet. It also showed that spiritual revival is a sovereign work of God. He must turn the hearts of people back to Himself. As Jesus would later say, “No one can come to Me unless the Father draws him” (John 6:44).

In two days we have our monthly time of United Prayer. I can’t think of a better prayer than this: that God would turn the hearts of all the people back to Him again. As we look around us and see what is happening in the United States and throughout the world, this is the greatest need of the hour. Will you join me in earnestly praying this prayer? And let’s start the movement by consecrating ourselves to love the LORD with all our hearts. Perhaps God will answer as He did on Mount Carmel and send down holy fire from heaven!