1 King 18:41-45
41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 43 and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.”
So, he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”
44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’
45 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.
There are two stories that I have heard over the years that have been a blessing to me.
The first one is the story of two farmers who both prayed to God for rain, but only one prepared the ground.
The other story is about the people of a village who went out to the village square to pray for rain but only one boy came with an umbrella.
The moral of these two stories is that the farmer and the boy both prayed in faith and expectation.
When Elijah told Ahab that it was going to rain it was because God had told Elijah that He was going to end the drought. 1King 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, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.”
It is clear from scripture that God had spoken to Elijah that He was going to end the drought, it is also interesting that God did not tell Elijah when He was going to end the drought. Many times, God has spoken to us about what He is about to do but we go about doing our everyday activity, with little or no expectation.
Here in this scripture we see that Elijah did not wait for the heavens to open just because the Lord had told him it would rain.
Elijah took the matter to God. It was more like Elijah was saying to God “You promised to end the drought, where is the rain?”
We see this in James 5:17-18
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
The Bible says Elijah prayed earnestly, with a sincere an intense conviction that God will open the heavens. He was purposeful in his prayer and there was a determination and an expectation that God will answer his prayer and it would rain on the land.
The Bible says Elijah prayed with the conviction that God will hear him, seven times he asked his servant to check and see if the sky showed any sign of rain, six times he went and there was no sign but Elijah never gave up, because God had spoken.
The Bible says on the seventh time, the servant came back and said “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!”
Elijah got up because he knew in his spirit and beyond every shadow of doubt that God has answered his prayers, Elijah was expectant. His expectation kept him in the place of prayer until he saw a cloud.
James 5:7-8
7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
You also be patient and wait for the salvation of the Lord. It does not really matter how long or what it is you are believing God for this year, patiently wait in prayer.
Elijah chose the mountaintop to do his waiting. You choose your own mountaintop to be alone with God and pray with expectation. The Lord will reward your waiting.
Just like the farmer and the little boy in the story, be expectant, come to Him prepared for your miracle. It does not really matter how long it takes, as He said it? He will do it. Pray with expectation.
