A doctor who discovered how to save thousands of women in childbirth spent years speaking to colleagues who refused to listen, and it cost him everything. That story opens a reflection on Elijah and King Ahab (1 Kings 17), on a time when a whole nation stopped listening to God and convenient gods of rain and harvest moved into the empty space. The message shows that such gods always take more than they give, and that being God’s voice is costly and changes the messenger first. Listen in and ask yourself who you are really listening to today.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In 1 Kings 16:29-34 we learn that Ahab built a temple to Baal, the god of rain and harvest, in Samaria. Why was the announcement of a drought such a painful blow to him?
- Elijah hides by the brook Kerith, and ravens bring him bread and meat morning and evening (1 Kings 17:1-8). What was God teaching him there, and how did it prepare him to go to Zarephath?
- The sermon said that life does not tolerate a vacuum, and when we stop listening to God, other little gods take His place. What most easily becomes that kind of center in your life?
- The speaker stressed that these gods always take more than they give, like the man who spent Christmas at work and lost his family. Where do you see something good starting to take more from you than it gives?
- Sometimes God lets us taste the consequences of our choices or sends people who tell us to stop. How do you respond when someone close warns you about the path you are on?
- Who can you be God's voice for this week, and what helps you trust Him for today instead of writing your own scenarios for the future?
