Aluminum.

Soft and malleable. Lightweight. Low density. Difficult and expensive to mine.

With descriptions such as these, it would seem highly unlikely for such an element to be of much use.

And yet, it is one of the most used metals in the Periodic Table!

• Because of its low-density, aluminum is used to manufacture cars, airplanes, and spacecraft.
• We see it in our kitchens — in foil, cooking utensils, and beverage cans.
• Aluminum is resistant to corrosion, making it ideal for building and construction (window frames, roofing, siding, etc.).

What at first glance may appear unlikely, is powerful and extremely useful.

God has a knack for using highly unlikely people and highly unlikely situations to do highly unlikely things.

In 1 Kings, we read the story of Elijah, a prophet of God, going toe to toe with the prophets of Baal. It’s 450 prophets to 1 — not great odds. Each side prepares an altar and a bull sacrifice, and then calls on their God to start a fire and light it.

For Team Baal?

They wail. They shout. They dance. They even cut themselves with swords and spears to show their loyalty.

“But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.”

1 Kings 18:29

Elijah’s turn.

Per God’s command, he takes things to another level.

“‘Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.’

‘Do it again,’ he said, and they did it again.

‘Do it a third time,’ he ordered, and they did it the third time. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.”

1 Kings 18:33-35

That wood was good and wet! Logically? No fire should start. Highly unlikely. And yet Elijah stood — one prophet amongst 450 — and prayed.

“Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.”

1 Kings 18:38

God answered and paid attention. He didn’t just light the altar on fire. He incinerated it — water drenched and all.

For the One True God? The wetter the better.

It wasn’t anything Elijah did. He wasn’t out there rubbing two sticks together or lighting match after match to get a fire going. He prayed. He trusted. He obeyed.

“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:13

In other words, we can’t boast because the strength doesn’t come from us. It isn’t something from deep within us — not something we can muster up — but rather an understanding that God is able.

With God:

• Upside down is right-side up.
• The last shall be first.
• Faith the size of a tiny mustard seed can move a mountain.
• The impossible is possible.
• The darker the night, the brighter He shines.
• The weaker we are, the more strength He shows.
• The more unlikely the situation, the more glory He gets.

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”

Matthew 19:26

God is able to take the lightweight and make it strong. Our job is to trust and obey. And if it seems like everything is out of control? If it seems highly unlikely? Well… the wetter the better.