Burunche’s Blog

1 Kings 18:41 – 46 “And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”

So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the summit of Carmel, bent down on the ground, and put his face between his knees. “Go and look toward the sea,” he said to his servant.

So the servant went and looked, and he said, “There is nothing there.”

Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”

On the seventh time the servant reported, “There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea.”

And Elijah replied, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’ ”

Meanwhile, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain began to fall. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.

And the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah, and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.”

Ahab has just watched in horror and amazement as God has sent fire from heaven to consume Elijah’s sacrifice, the stones of the altar, the water, and even the dust. Elijah and the Israelites have killed the 450 prophets of Baal and possibly the 400 prophets of Asherah as well. At this point, Ahab is so distraught that he can barely wipe his own nose. No wonder Ahab is taking orders from Elijah! Elijah sends Ahab off to get something to eat, telling him that there is the sound of a heavy rain, something Elijah is hearing in his spirit. While Ahab goes off to eat, Elijah climbs to the very highest point on Mount Carmel and begins praying.

Six times, Elijah sends his servant to look towards the sea, and six times the servant comes back and reports that he sees nothing. Each time this happens, Elijah orders him to go back and look again. Finally, the servant reports that he sees a tiny cloud “no bigger than a man’s hand rising from the sea.” Elijah then orders Ahab to get in his chariot and take off for Jezreel before the rain stops him. As Elijah is saying this, the storm clouds are gathering and the rain that will break that three – year drought is beginning. As Ahab is speeding to Jezreel in his chariot, God moves on Elijah, who tucks his cloak in his belt and runs all the way to Jezreel, arriving before Ahab.

APPLICATION: Three years of drought! Three years of watching people and livestock suffering from thirst and possibly dying from hunger when the crops failed! What brought the drought in the first place? It was the sins of Ahab and Jezebel compounded by the mute acceptance of that evil by the Israelites that brought such terrible weather. And what broke this drought? The drought was broken when Baal was graphically demonstrated to be a worthless idol while the One True Living God of Israel showed His power and His might by consuming Elijah’s sacrifice. Was it necessary to kill all those prophets of Baal? Well, if those men had lived, they might have devised new means of deceiving the unwary. Certainly, Jezebel had done everything she could to eliminate the prophets of God so that they could not teach the people the right way.

It is a sad mistake when we assume that weather patterns cannot be influenced by spiritual conditions. In the “Transformations” series of videos, George Otis Junior and the Sentinel Organization have graphically demonstrated that all kinds of climate changes have occurred in Fiji, in Guatemala, and in other parts of the world when people in those areas have repented and have turned to worship the One True Living God. (https://www.sentinelgroup.org/documentaries) Today there is a lot of attention being paid to the concept of global warming; however, very few people seem to realize that we need to seek to please God, who controls all of our weather.

What about Elijah’s prayers and his servant’s obedience? What can we learn from the way Elijah prays?

1. Elijah isolates himself so that he can concentrate on his prayers. While everyone else is leaving the area, Elijah climbs to the highest point on Mount Carmel.
2. Elijah buries his face in his lap so that he will not become discouraged and so that he can focus totally on what God is saying to him. Sometimes we need to close ourselves off so that we will not be distracted and that we will listen fully to God. John Wesley’s mother, Susanna, had nineteen children; yet, her children knew that when she sat down and threw her apron up over her face, she was praying and they were to be quiet and leave her alone.
3. Elijah refuses to give up or to give in. Elijah sends his servant to look out toward the sea six times, and each time the servant returns to report that he sees nothing new. Many of us might have stopped long before six times, feeling that we have prayed long enough and that surely God should have answered by now. But Elijah is made of stronger stuff, and he refuses to give up. Finally, on the seventh time, the servant returns to report that he sees a small cloud rising out of the sea.  George Mueller, a famous prayer warrior of the nineteenth century, prayed for the salvation of one man for much of his life. It was only when that man learned of Mueller’s death that he came to know Christ. IF GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO PRAY FOR SOMETHING OR FOR SOMEONE, DON’T GIVE UP!!!
4. Elijah’s servant is obedient and continues to follow Elijah’s instructions, trusting that they are from God. At no point does it appear that the servant questions Elijah as some of us might have done. “Hey, boss! I’ve already looked six times and there was nothing. What’s the point of looking again?”
5. Elijah doesn’t even look at the sea himself but trusts his servant to have given him a true report. Not only is Elijah talking to God, but God is also talking to Elijah. God has probably told Elijah to keep praying until the servant brings him a certain answer. Now that answer has come. It’s time for Elijah to act.
6. After praying, Elijah allows God to touch him, tucks his cloak up into his belt and runs all the way to Jezreel. This distance is roughly fifteen miles and remember that the terrain is very rough and very hilly. Perhaps Elijah is able to take footpaths to Jezreel while Ahab has to take a road; however, this is still an impressive feat. All those weeks in the wilderness have helped prepare Elijah for this distance run. Many times, we fail to realize that our sufferings are preparing us for greater things.

Persistence in prayer and a willingness to continue until God moves – these are the lessons we can learn from Elijah’s sojourn on the top of Mount Carmel. But also, when God moves us, we must be ready even if it’s running fifteen miles through the wilderness!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to learn as much as possible from Your Word so that our lives will conform to Your perfect plan. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

This entry was posted on July 15, 2022 at 12:01 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.