Prostration is a sign of adoration, worship, respect. WE do that without asking for anything from God.
So your answer is that Elijah, a righteous man, went to the mountain top with his servant, and not part of any religious observance in a church of course, prostrated himself before nothing, since it was not God's house and God wasn't "there" and none of His angels were "there", then got up without praying? :) Look, I honestly don't know, but I thought when one prostrates, it is before "something", whether it be God Himself, or one of His angels (as in scripture, even if it was wrong to do so), or in His house, or even before a human king. It just has to be IN FRONT OF something. None of that applied on the mountain top. IOW, no one climbs a mountain top to prostrate himself before God, then gets up and leaves without praying. :)
Therefore, the much more reasonable conclusion is that Elijah was praying. I don't even have a problem with supposing that he was prostrated, but I can't believe he wasn't praying while doing so. What would be the point? I see your rationale as forced. Your description just doesn't fit the situation on the mountain top.
None of these signs of respect and adoration of God are actually prayers. Prayers are supplications sung by the priest and the laity, asking God for mercy, forgiveness, etc., in other words, supplications, pleadings, mixed with visible acts of adoration.
I am not really moved to argue over what is a prayer. I know what it is and I'm sure you do too. :) In the Lord's Prayer, there are "signs of respect and adoration of God", and there is also supplication. That's all I need to know. :) But here, your second sentence appears to betray your first. If prayers are, IOW, "supplications, pleadings, mixed with visible acts of adoration" (second sentence), then how can you say that adoration of God doesn't count as prayer (first sentence)?
Calvinist services involve singing and a preacher of some kind walking on stage drawing unnecessary attention to himself or herself (like in the case of Pastor Scott's beautiful pastor-wife, with her long, flowing hair) all of which distracts from God and is pure vanity.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Well, yes there is singing such as in:
Ex 15:1-5 : 1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: "I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea. 2 The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. 3 The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name. 4 Pharaoh's chariots and his army he has hurled into the sea. The best of Pharaoh's officers are drowned in the Red Sea. 5 The deep waters have covered them; they sank to the depths like a stone. ......
Of course the lyrics probably sounded snappier in the original language, but there are tons of examples of singing to the Lord in scripture. I don't understand any church that looks down its nose at singing to the Lord.
In addition, I must object to your assertion that all of our preachers draw unnecessary attention to themselves. LOL! My church isn't even a Calvinist church, but I can assure you that we have no "long, flowing hair" wafting about on stage distracting the congregation from their worship. :) Our pulpit is a waft-free zone!!!
Our services are focused on God and God only. It's not a performance. It's not high tech. It's not a "pep" talk like some mega "church" pastors and their "feel good" preaching.
Your services SHOULD be focused on God and God only. The services at my church are too. The musical component of our services, consisting of singers and instrumentalists, are merely an aid to the worship. Nobody comes to our church on Sunday to hear the music. The vast majority of them come to worship God. Some/many of them also, as an aside, appreciate the music for the glory it (hopefully :) gives to God. Our Minister of Music tells us all the time that our purpose is to bring glory to God, and that's it.
As far as high tech, our pastor wears a microphone so that everyone can hear him. We are by no means a large church but not everyone would be able to hear without it. We also use screens to show scripture in big letters during the sermon, lyrics to hymns in big letters, announcements, missions videos, etc. I fail to see how this would taint the worship experience. But neither do I say that every church SHOULD be like mine in this regard. Not at all. I surely agree that some of the mega-churches are over-hyped and have a watered-down message in order to "reach" (cater to) the most people. This is ridiculous and unscriptural. God's word is God's word and should be preached regardless of how many people will like it at the first hearing. The truth can't be compromised like that. Even if milk is on the menu, there are good ways to serve it and bad ways too.
What makes you think Elijah was prostrating himself before god or praying? It looks like he was just plain tuckered out from the tremendous contest with the prophets of Baal. His praying was done before Mt. Carmel since God told him of the rain and he told Ahab it was going to rain. He was there just to see the hand oof God perform what was promised. He was “sitting” on the promises of God.
James 5:17-18 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
1 Kings 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
1 Kings 18:1 And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth. 41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
:::My church isn’t even a Calvinist church, but I can assure you that we have no “long, flowing hair” wafting about on stage distracting the congregation from their worship. :) Our pulpit is a waft-free zone!!!:::
Well, the Crystal Cathedral is definitely not a waft free zone. Dr. Robert Schuller and his son both are ordained in the Reformed Church in America, which has as its belief system:
The final authority in the Reformed faith is Holy Scripture, the living Word of God, spoken to everyone through the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit takes the Word of God and makes it real and actual in our lives. This has always been and will always be the authentic wellspring of Reformed faith.
The following confessions and creeds are statements of Reformed beliefs:
Three historic documents—the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dort
Three historic creeds—the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed
I’m not sure how I’d square Dr. Schuller’s Sunday morning performances with some of the folks here, so I’m guessing that there is Reformed and there is Reformed!!!
:::I surely agree that some of the mega-churches are over-hyped and have a watered-down message in order to “reach” (cater to) the most people. This is ridiculous and unscriptural. God’s word is God’s word and should be preached regardless of how many people will like it at the first hearing. The truth can’t be compromised like that. Even if milk is on the menu, there are good ways to serve it and bad ways too.:::
We have further agreement on the new mega churches. But where we may differ is on the menu - we prefer to get to the meat of the matter. :)
I didn't mean to suggest that he wasn't praying. Prayer and adoration go hand-in-hand. And prostrating yourself before God is good anywhere because God is everywhere! Elder Cleopa used to serve Divine Liturgy on a tree stump as his altar table! In fact, our Lord even tells us that public worship is not the way to go (such as school prayer, etc.), but rather in the dark corner of your home. So, a mountain is a perfect to prostrate oneself before God.
Well, yes there is singing such as
The signing is not a problem. We also sing. The Jews sing and this is where that comes from, and your verse reminds us of that. It's the pastors parading back and forth, acting out, gesturing, boasting, etc., that draws attention to them (vanity). Our Lord did none of that.
So, those who boast and act and speak loudly when they preach are doing a poor imitation of Christ, especially when late Pastor Scott's attractive wife-turned-pastor flips her hair constantly...there is very little resemblance between Christ and her even if what she is preaching may be right.
Did Christ joke when He preached? Well, I was watching this rather well known woman preacher this morning and she kept her audience in stitches. Poor imitation. That's all. It's show business and not a "church."
I understand that not all Protestant churches are like that and I have heard sermons that were very, very Orthodox in their content, and delivered in a dignified and humble manner. But, again, Protestantism takes the wide road to finding the narrow path. It's a hit-and-miss approach.
Your services SHOULD be focused on God and God only
I can tell you have never attended one. It's not priest "performing" or joking. It starts with "Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost" and ends with "blessed is our God." Ninety minutes to two hours, depending on the feast, of pure praising God and petitions to God and mentioning in reverence God's chosen saints.