(1 Kings 18:41-46)
“And Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain’. So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. ‘Go and look toward the sea’, he 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”. Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The power of the Lord came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.”
There is a system of prayer that makes sudden shift happen. The process and sequence of time can be altered in the place of prayer. There are things that won’t happen until certain things happen. If you’re ready to pray and make the sacrifice in the place of prayer, you will experience the dimension that makes things happen suddenly.
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain. For three years and six months, it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again and heaven gave the rain and the earth bore its fruit.
Just because something is according to God’s will and is not immediately answered does not mean that we are supposed to stop praying. Elijah climbed back up to the top of the mountain and began to pray again. He asked God for rain and had told King Ahab that there would be heavy rain and in faith, he could hear the rain coming.
But even with the promise of rain, Elijah prayed. He continued his actions in faith that God would answer his prayer. He sent his servant to go towards the sea but the servant returned without seeing any indication of rain. Elijah repeated this exercise seven times!
Finally, the seventh time, the servant returned with the news that there was a small cloud coming up from the sea. Elijah still remained steadfast in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. He prays and then looks. Then he prayed again and then looked. He kept doing this continually until he saw the cloud coming. We need to press more in our prayers because God wants us to be persistent and keep pressing him.
Listen to the full sermon on https://youtu.be/P-_UUM7SCug
