What if the darkness gripping our culture isn’t the end of the story? What if God is preparing to interrupt it?
Bestselling Christian author and pastor Max Lucado is pointing believers back to the prophet Elijah—and to the possibility that God can suddenly step into seemingly impossible circumstances and change the course of history.
In a recent conversation with Glenn Beck, Lucado discussed the striking parallels between Elijah’s generation and the spiritual condition of the world today. Israel had turned from God under King Ahab and Jezebel, embracing the worship of Baal and Asherah. Lucado described a culture that had gone completely “off the guardrails,” even practicing child sacrifice and temple prostitution.
“It’s not hard to connect the dots and see that the depravity of his day is mirroring the depravity of ours,” Lucado said.
Yet Elijah’s story isn’t ultimately about darkness. It’s about what God can do in the middle of it.
Lucado noted that Americans today battle exhaustion and cynicism, watching the country’s direction and wondering whether anything can truly change. Elijah, however, entered a society Lucado described as even more depraved, and God still used him to help turn a nation back toward Him.
On Mount Carmel, Elijah stood against hundreds of false prophets. Fire fell from heaven following his prayer, and the Israelites responded by declaring, “The Lord he is God.” For Lucado, that biblical moment offers a powerful reminder for Christians tempted to believe that the darkness has already won.
“God always has his prophets. He always has his people,” Lucado said. “And just when we think things could not get worse, he sends a messenger into our world.”
But perhaps the most striking part of Lucado’s message centers on what he calls “divine disruption.”
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Elijah’s life included stretches when seemingly nothing happened, followed by sudden supernatural intervention.
“Long periods of seemingly nothing, and then bam, fire falls from heaven,” Lucado said.
The same God who moved suddenly in Elijah’s generation has not changed.
“Just when I think our world is dark and shady and gray, our Lord God is a good God,” Lucado said, adding that God can “speak into existence a miracle” capable of literally rerouting history.
That possibility should change how Christians respond to the chaos around them. Instead of surrendering to fear, cynicism or the assumption that nothing can change, Lucado says believers should pray.
He points to what he calls “Elijah-level prayer.” James reminds believers that Elijah was human just like everyone else, yet his prayers carried tremendous consequences. Lucado says this truth matters especially for Christians who feel their voices no longer matter.
“God hears the prayers of normal people, sinful people, discouraged people,” he said. “Anybody who’s listening today who’s thinking there is no hope, to you I would say, yes, there is hope because there is prayer.”
Perhaps the church doesn’t need to resign itself to watching darkness advance.
Perhaps this is the hour to pray for a divine disruption.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the newly released book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
