Memorise:
Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter
rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to
every one grass in the field. Zechariah 10:1
Read: 1 Kings 18:41-45
41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and
drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah
went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put
his face between his knees,
43 And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward
the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said,
Go again seven times.
44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he
said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand.
And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that
the rain stop thee not.
45 And it came to pass in the meanwhile, that the
heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab
rode, and went to Jezreel.
Message
There is a point in the life of every child of God
when the appointed time for the fulfillment of a divine promise arrives. We
know as a matter of fact that the word of God is yea and amen. We believe that
His word is settled in heaven. We are also certain that heaven and earth may
pass away but a dot in His word will not pass away unfulfilled. Nevertheless,
as the time of fulfillment of a major prophecy approaches, we may become
overwhelmed with suspense and anxiety. This seems to the case of Elijah in
today's reading.
Three years before, the prophet had authoritatively declared to King Ahab that
there will be neither dew nor rain in the land of Israel, except by his word (1
Kings 17:1). Within the three years following that event, God had answered his
various requests, and the victory over the prophets of Baal was still fresh in
his mind. Yet he knew that if God should send rain at his word, It would be a
great accomplishment and the crowning point of his life. It was with this
feeling that Elijah approached Mount Carmel for the manifestation of the power
of God on the back of God's promise.
There are important lessons to be learnt from the
way the prophet handled the situation. First, he exhibited his faith in the
Word of God by confidently giving Ahab the assurance to go and start
celebrating the coming of the rain. Next is the prophet's attitude to prayer.
He decided to put his faith into action through fervent prayers. He was not
tempted to leave God to fulfill His own promise. Thirdly, the sound of abundant
rain must have been a sign from God to the prophet, because others could not
hear it. He received it with joy as a token that his prayer would be answered,
and he announced it to the world by faith. The fourth lesson is that, even
though his servant told him "there is nothing" six times, he did not
allow discouragement to set in. He knew what God told him, and he held onto it
tenaciously. Finally, Prophet Elijah persevered in the place of prayer. He said
to his servant "go again", seven times. He continued to watch and
pray and finally, there was a great rain. As you tarry in the place of prayer
this year, the Lord will answer your entire request by fire in Jesus' Name.
Always remember this:
‘For
the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not
lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not
tarry.' Habakkuk
2:3
Prayer Point:
Father, please let every prophecy and divine promise
for my life begin to find fulfillment now in the Name of Jesus.
BIBLE
IN A YEAR: JEREMIAH 43-44 and ACTS
24:1-21
AUTHOR:
Pastor E.A. Adeboye
Comments
Post a Comment