Waiting for Rain

PERSISTENCE AND FAITH

1 Kings 18:43-44 – “Go and look toward the sea, [Elijah] told his servant. And he went up and looked. ‘There is nothing there,’ he said. Seven times, Elijah said, ‘Go back.’ The seventh time, the servant reported, ‘A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.’ So Elijah said, ‘Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’” (NIV)

I love biblical stories about Elijah and Elisha. To me, they’re like biblical superheroes. With their mighty faith, they were able to achieve such miraculous wonders, second only to Jesus. But I’ll explore them more fully on another day.

In today’s passage, the land of Israel experienced a great drought because they had turned away from the Lord. After three years, God sent Elijah to King Ahab to tell him that the drought was over and the rain they so desperately needed was on the way. After delivering the message, Elijah went up to Mount Carmel to pray. At first, he saw no response to his prayers, but he persisted. He sent his servant seven times to look for any evidence of a rain cloud, and on the seventh time, a small rain cloud had begun to swell…

It didn’t matter the report, what eyes saw, or ears heard, Elijah trusted the Word of God, believing, persisting, until he saw its manifestation.

It’s often challenging to have that level of faith today. There are so many things to distract us from the deep, singular relationship with God that such faith requires. But Elijah stands through the ages as a model of what real faith looks like, and what it can manifest in this earthly realm, particularly when we are seeking God’s will above our own.

Are you in a posture of waiting? Hoping for a response from God? Stand firm and persist in your faith. God will ALWAYS answer in time.

I mentioned before that my husband and I are in a posture of waiting in faith. We have received several reports that things were not looking good for us, but we have persisted in prayer and have continued to stand firm in our faith that God has the final say. A few weeks ago, during Sunday service, I sought God for confirmation that our waiting would not be in vain, and I received it! Our blessing, our miracle, is on the way! I see the tiny rain cloud and will continue to pray in faith as I “wait for rain!”

Shine Your Light!

Additional Scripture

1 John 5: 14-15 – “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” (NIV)

Songs

There Is a Cloud (Live) – Elevation Worship

Rain on Us – Earnest Pugh

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Photo Credits

Photo 1: https://www.theoakleafnews.com/variety/2019/10/08/waiting-for-rain/

Photo 2: https://www.campsitephotos.com/blog/campground-reviews-adventures/roll-with-the-changes/

Photo 3: https://time.com/4521057/megadrought-california-climate-change/

Photo 4: https://www.thriftyfun.com/Storm-Cloud-Photos.html

Photo 5: https://fadingmeta.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/waiting-for-that-rain/

If at First You Don’t Succeed…

PERSISTENCE (Part 2)

2 Kings 4:35 – “Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out on him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.” (For the full story, read 2 Kings 4:8-37).

1Kings 18:42b-43 – And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 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.” (For the full story, read 1 Kings 18:41-44).

Reflections: History shows us time and again that persistence pays off. The Bible is filled with examples of men and women who kept going, kept trying, despite the odds; and in the end, proved victorious. In stories about both Elisha and Elijah, for example, we see situations where these two amazing prophets of God failed to see visible answers to their prayers after the first or second time they made their petitions. For Elijah, this situation occurred as he prayed for rain to end a drought (1 Kings 18:41-19:8). It was only after the SEVENTH time that he prayed and asked his servant to search for a rain cloud that he began to see the fruit of his labor. Elisha, on the other hand, had to try three times before he could bring the Shunammite women’s son back to life (2 Kings 4:8-37).

These are both amazing stories that give us hope and faith in God’s ability to accomplish miraculous works through his people. The persistence of these men eventually paid off, and ultimately serves as a testimony to the power of prayer, persistence, and faith.

But what if things had gone differently? What if either of them had grown weary and discouraged after their first, second, or in Elijah’s case, sixth try? Lives would have been lost and lands may have perished if they had chosen not to try one more time. Instead, their faith that God heard them and would eventually answer their prayer compelled them to keep petitioning until they saw a response.

What about you? Have you been seeking God for something that has not yet begun to manifest? Have you been praying for a response that has not yet come? If you are beginning to grow weary of the waiting, take heart and have hope. God HAS heard your plea, and He WILL answer—in His time and in His own way. It may take days, weeks, months, or even years for you to see or hear the response; but know that there is always a purpose in the waiting. Continue to seek Him, continue to have faith that He hears you. Don’t give up! You may be just one prayer away from God’s answer.

See Also:

Daniel 10:12-13 – “Then he continued, ‘Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.’”

1 John 5:14-15 – “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

Thoughts, reactions, or testimonies? Leave a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you!

Shine Your Light! 

Don’t Give Up

PERSISTENCE

Galatians 6:9 – “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Reflections: Have you ever wanted to just throw in the towel? Oftentimes, we try so hard to fulfill a purpose or a goal set before us; but despite our efforts, we find ourselves missing the mark the first, second, or even third time we try. Reaching for our goals can be particularly challenging when we are working in our calling; because we must battle not only our flesh (telling us we don’t have what it takes), but also the attacks of the enemy, who wants nothing more than to see us fail and give up altogether.

The reality is that we’re not always going to get it right the first time we try, and we might not always meet with resounding success during our initial efforts, despite all of our good intentions. But the Word tells us not to grow weary in well-doing, because at the proper time (God’s time, not our own), we will reap a harvest if we stand firm, have faith, and DO NOT GIVE UP (Galatians 6:9).

Keep going, keep trying, keep pushing forward towards the mark. God would not have called you to it if He didn’t know that you could do it. 🙂 Just trust Him to see you through and know that you can do and endure all things through Christ, who gives you strength.

“When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” – Harriet Beecher Stowe

Song: I’ll Trust You by Donnie McClurkin

Thoughts, reactions, or testimonies? Leave a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you!

Shine Your Light!