1 Kings 18:41-44 NIV ~ “And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” [42] 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. [43] “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.” [44] 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.”
Have you ever prayed fervently for something but felt discouraged when you didn’t see any visible sign of it? It’s so easy to be discouraged when you are looking at circumstances through your natural eyes and you can’t see anything with your spiritual eyes yet! But God! I was listening to a sermon today by Pastor Tomi Arayomi, called “This Is That Moment” and he said that we are always looking with our natural eyes, so we miss seeing what God wants us to see with our spiritual eyes!” Stop looking and start seeing! (I will attach the sermon at the end)!
Let’s get back to the devotion. In this story of Elijah praying for rain, it shows you the importance of seeing with spiritual eyes through faith in God’s promises, rather than being limited by what you can perceive with our natural eyes and senses. In 1 Kings 18, the land of Israel had suffered a severe drought for three years. The heavens were like bronze, and the ground was parched. But Elijah, held on to the Word of God, he knew that rain was coming! After defeating Ahab’s prophets of Baal and calling the people back to God, Elijah went to the top of Mount Carmel, bowed down to the ground and put his head between his knees and prayed earnestly for rain to come!
Elijah sent his servant to look toward the sea for any sign of rain. He went six times, and each time he brought back the same report “There is nothing.” However, Elijah was persistent, and not because the skies looked promising, but because he had a promise from God. So, he told him to go back and look again, this is the seventh time, and this time the servant returned a different tune, he saw a small cloud, no larger than a man’s hand, rising from the sea! He was no longer looking; he saw the evidence that rain was coming! (Just wait, you will see the hand of the Lord move on your behalf!) That tiny cloud was enough for Elijah to know that the rain was imminent. Why? Because Elijah wasn’t looking at the natural circumstances; he was seeing the fulfillment of God’s promise with spiritual eyes!
There is a story about a Pastor, who planted a bamboo tree. For five years, there was no sign of growth, yet he faithfully tended to it and watered it every day. He explained that even though nothing was happening on the surface, the bamboo was growing deep roots underground. Then in the sixth year, the bamboo shot up over 80 feet tall! For six years, nothing! For Elijah six attempts, nothing, the servant saw no evidence of change, but Elijah knew God was working! Say it with me, on the seventh look, the small cloud appeared, and it ushered in an abundant downpour! God is building something greater in you and He has to make sure your roots are strong, fortified and connected beneath the surface in your life! He has to strengthen your faith, prepare circumstances, and align the people and opportunities that you need before you are seen!
I know it’s easy to give up when you don’t see immediate results, but I want you to be like Elijah and the bamboo planter, you must be persistent! Trust that God’s promises are never void and that the “rain” He has spoken over your life is coming, be patient! It’s in His Timing! Today, when you look at your life don’t be discouraged by what you are looking at with your natural eyes? See the rain coming in your finances, your relationships, and in those unanswered prayers. I know that your human sight can fail to detect the evidence of God’s Hand at first, but just remember It’s never nothing, but it’s coming soon! You will see! Trust the Process of God! Remember, what the Word of God says in, Hebrews 11:1 reminds us that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith invites you to align your vision with God’s Word rather than your circumstances.
Elijah is teaching you to pray persistently and expectantly, even when you don’t see immediate results. Like him, you can trust that the God who spoke the promise will fulfill it in His perfect timing! The cloud may seem small and insignificant, but it carries the potential for an abundant outpouring! Pray persistently and refuse to give up, even when you see no immediate results. Trust that God is working behind the scenes and around the corner! Be on the lookout to see the small signs of His faithfulness, no matter how little it may seem. Celebrate the glimpses of hope as evidence that God’s promises are in motion. Finally, speak words of faith over your circumstances, just as Elijah confidently proclaimed rain before it came. By aligning your actions and words with God’s promises, you position yourself to encounter His abundant blessings in His perfect timing!
Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:7-8: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” Let this reminder strengthen your resolve to pray without ceasing, knowing that persistent faith moves the heart and hand of God. Today, ask yourself, are you focusing only on the “nothing” you see, or are you standing in faith for the “cloud” of God’s promise? Look again, your breakthrough might already be on the horizon, now tell me what you see!
Let’s Pray:
Father, thank You! Thank You for opening up my eyes to see a brand new day! It is beautiful and I’m grateful! Thank You Father for being so faithful to Your Word even when my natural eyes cannot see it. You are the God who hears all of my prayers and works in ways beyond me to bring them to pass! Father strengthen my faith to trust Your promises, in every seasons of waiting. Help me to persist in prayer, to look beyond the “nothing” that I see, and to believe that You are working all things together for my good. Father, open my spiritual eyes to recognize the small signs of Your faithfulness and to celebrate them as evidence of what’s to come. And Father, when I grow weary or discouraged, remind me that Your timing is always perfect. Fill me with hope, patience, and joy, knowing that what You have spoken over my life will not return void. Give me the courage to continue praying and trusting, even when the answers feel distant. Father, let Your Spirit empower me to walk in obedience and to speak in faith over my life and circumstances. Father, I am praising You in advance for the rain of Your blessings, for the miracle’s unseen, and for the abundant harvest to come in my life. In the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen!
Blessings…
Love, Minister Jean
Attachments area
Preview YouTube video THIS IS THAT MOMENT | Tomi Arayomi | Sermon Series
I do not own the rights to this video
THIS IS THAT MOMENT | Tomi Arayomi | Sermon Series
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