ELIJAH: RAIN

West Texas has been experiencing draught. It’s dry, but not as dry as it was in Israel.

For three and one-half years, there was no dew, no mist, no rain. Not a drip! Not a drop! With draught came famine. And with famine came death.

The stench of death and decay hung heavy over the land. The skeletons and carcasses of oxen, cattle, and sheep littered the land. The once lush farmland of the valleys and mountainsides were dusty and barren wastelands. Dust blew. Flies swarmed. Sickly, emaciated people went to bed hungry. Frustration, bitterness, hopelessness filled the minds and hearts of the young and old, rich and poor.

Elijah had prayed that God would withhold the rain. He did. Now, without a cloud in the sky, he announced the rain. “Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a rainstorm’ ” (1 Kings 18:41).

Returning “to the summit of Carmel. He bent down on the ground and put his face between his knees” (1 Kings 18:42). The Bible doesn’t record the prophet’s words, but I suspect it was something like this: “O Lord, Creator of Heaven and Earth, Almighty God… You have protected me for these years of devastating draught. You sent Your ravens to bring me bread and meat. You miraculously renewed the Widow’s flour bin day after day. And you sent fire, falling from Heaven, and proving conclusively that You are God, and that I am Your servant. Thank you! Now, Gracious Father, send rain!”

He sent his servant to examine the western skyline, checking for thunderclouds. Nothing! No clouds! So, bowed to the ground, Elijah prayed again. Still no clouds… so Elijah continued to beseech Almighty God.

Seven times, he prayed. After the seventh, his servant saw “a cloud as small as a man’s hand coming up from the sea” (1 Kings 18:44)

Does God answer prayer? Does He hear the persistent, faithful pleadings of His children? Absolutely! “Elijah was a human being as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the land. Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its fruit” (James 5:17–18).

“… think on these things” (Philippians 4:8, KJV).