Elijah understood something about prayer that should inform all praying people. The prophet knew God’s will, but that didn’t stop him from praying for God’s will to be accomplished.
Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of rushing rain.” So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. (1 Kings 18:41-42a).
Elijah declared God’s intention to Ahab, but he followed up his words with prayer.
Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; there he bowed himself down upon the earth and put his face between his knees (1 Kings 18:42b),
At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus preached, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15).
Even though Jesus could confidently state that God’s kingdom had arrived on earth, He still taught His followers to pray for it to be fully realized.
May your kingdom come.
May your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)
A very important prayer principle is highlighted by Elijah and Jesus. When we know God’s purpose and His determination to act in history, it is a signal to pray for God to enforce His will.
God wants human participants in His work. When He reveals His activity to us, we should join Him by praying for His will to be done. God will usually invite us to join Him in His work, but the first thing we can do is to pray.
Elijah didn’t serve God alone. While he prayed, his servant looked toward to sea to witness God’s activity. What he saw took patience and faith.
He said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” He went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” Then he said, “Go again seven times.”
At the seventh time he said, “Look, a little cloud no bigger than a person’s hand is rising out of the sea.” (1 Kings 18:43-44).
I don’t know how far Elijah’s servant had to travel to get a view of the sea. It takes only a moment to read the account, but it may have taken several hours or possibly days to recognize the little cloud.
Jesus encourages His followers to have faith in His work, even if our faith is weak or small.
The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you” (Luke 17:6).
Whether it is a small cloud or small faith, we are called to trust God’s activity. Before the cloud grew and the rain descended on the earth, the servant delivered Elijah’s message to the king.
Then he said, “Go say to Ahab, ‘Harness your chariot and go down before the rain stops you'” (1 Kings 18:17).
The Principle in Practice
Let’s review what Elijah did and make sure we are imitating his actions.
(1) He was able to trust God, because he had an ongoing relationship with Him.
The root three letters for “faith” in the Greek language speak of relationship. Both the language and common sense reveal that faith is dependent on the kind of relationship with have with someone.
(2) God revealed to His prophet the fact that it was going to rain. Elijah, in turn, prayed for God to bring rain.
We may not know detailed information like Elijah, but the Bible reveals God’s will in numerous places.
- The Ten Commandments and Sermon on the Mount are expressions of God’s plan for humanity. We can review these passages and pray for God to bring about His will in regard to these laws.
- The Lord’s Prayer, Jesus’ prayer in John 17, and Paul’s prayers in his letters can be prayed as led by the Holy Spirit.
- The timeless message of the prophets can be themes for prayer. Also, what Jesus did and taught reflects God’s purpose for humanity and can be prayer themes.
(3) Elijah believed a cloud the size of a human hand was enough for God to bring rain. Continual prayer with “mustard seed” sized faith is enough to join God in His work.
(4) Patience is required. Let’s remember that God allowed Israel to suffer for three years before sending needed rain.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 