Elijah’s Prayer

I

Does it not grief and wonder move,
To think of Israel’s shameful fall,
Who needed miracles to prove
Whether the Lord was God or Baal?

II

Methinks I see Elijah stand,
His features glow with love and zeal.
In faith and prayer he lifts his hand,
And makes to Heaven his great appeal.

III

“O God! if I thy servant am,
If ’tis thy message fills my heart,
Now glorify thy holy name,
And show this people who thou art.”

IV

He spake, and lo a sudden flame
Consumed the wood, the dust, the stone.
The people struck, at once proclaim⁠—
“The Lord is God, the Lord alone.”

V

Like him we mourn an awful day,
When more for Baal than God appear.
Like him, believers, let us pray,
And may the God of Israel hear.

VI

Lord, if thy servant speak thy truth,
If he indeed is sent by thee,
Confirm the word to all our youth,
And let them thy salvation see.

VII

Now may the Spirit’s holy fire
Pierce every heart that hears thy word,
Consume each hurtful vain desire,
And make them know thou art the Lord!