1 Kings 18:41-46 Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain." 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 43 and said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." So he went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing." And seven times he said, "Go again." 44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, "There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!" So he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.'" 45 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. 46 Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. NKJV
After the false gods are dealt with and the false prophets of Baal and Asherah. It’s time to call for the rain.
Not only was there a drought in the land for food and water, but there was a drought in the land for the water of the Word. This drought in the natural is a prophetic picture of the lack of the revelation of the Word of God in the land! The God who answers by fire, will demonstrate to the people who were faltering between two opinions, the one and only true living God. But in order to grow up and mature, there is going to have to be the watering of the Word of God!
Zech 10:1-2 Ask the Lord for rain In the time of the latter rain. The Lord will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone. 2 For the idols speak delusion; The diviners envision lies,And tell false dreams; They comfort in vain. Therefore the people wend their way like sheep; They are in trouble because there is no shepherd. NKJV
The Latter rain comes just before the harvest. We are living at the time of the greatest harvest of souls the world has ever seen. We are going to see the best and the worst of times at the same time. Like Elijah we are going to have to call for the rain. In Zechariah, we are to ask the Lord for rain in time of latter rain. It says that when we do, the Lord will make flashing clouds. Because it was so dry in the land it is going to take a persistant determination to end the drought. Look what Elijah tells Ahab: “Go up and eat and drink because ther is the sound of the abundance of rain.” Now looking at this in the natural, was there a sound of the abundance of rain? The answer would have to be no, because if you read just a little bit farther in that passage, Elijah asked his servant if he see’s rain coming and he returns from the sea and tells Elijah, he see’s nothing. But look what Ahab the king does. He obeys Elijah! He goes and eats and drinks! Elijah's now got the ear of the king! Remember King Ahab, before the demonstration of fire by the one and true living God, was hunting down Elijah to kill him and he called him the troubler of Israel! Elijah then goes to Mount Carmel and bows down, puts his face between his knees and that’s when he sends his servant to go look for the rain. Now to get just a little more insight as to how Elijah really was in character and nature let’s look at this New Testament scripture in James.
James 5:13-18 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. NKJV
Elijah was a man with a nature just like ours. He had to exercise his faith and believe just like we do. But the key here is the effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much!
Effective/fervent: NT:1754 GREEK energeo (en-erg-eh'-o); from NT:1756; to be active, efficient: KJV - do, (be) effectual (fervent), be mighty in, shew forthself, work (effectually in). to invoke.
The Greek word is “energeo” This is the Greek word that we get our English word “energy” from. When we pray, we need to invoke and put some energy into it. We have been given power from on high! This passage gives us the proper way to look at any situation we are facing and how to treat it. Is any among you suffering? Let him pray! Prayer changes things and eliminates suffering! Is there any amongst us cheerful? Let him sing songs or Psalms! Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick and the Lord will raise him up. This is the Word of the Lord that we must put on a higher level than the situation or sickness! We must put some energy and passion into this! We know that we have been given power from on high and we are to invoke the Word that is true! Jesus has already dealt with the sin issue. He became a curse for us! We’ve been restored to the Father and the blessings of Abraham are upon us! So if sin is the issue for you, repent and turn away from it. Confess your faults, one to another , pray for one another that you may be healed! The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much! We are the righteousness of God in Christ! So put your heart into knowing that all of this that we desire and God desires for us has already been paid for with His only Son! He paid the price for this with his own blood! Remember Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, but he prayed earnestly that it would not rain. Why? Because he knew that his people were trusting in creation and serving false gods, whom they thought were controlling certain aspects of creation. But God answered by fire and delivered them from their faltering opinions that had confused and put them in bondage. Now they were desperate and he had all their attention and there was an open door to call for rain!
He prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit! We have been given that kind of authority in the earth. I want to back up a little bit in this same chapter in James to capture this in context.
James 5:7-12 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! 10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord — that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. 12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your "Yes" be "Yes," and your "No," "No," lest you fall into judgment. NKJV
The Spirit of Elijah prepares the way of the Lord. Patience is going to be what we need in this hour. This patience is compared to a farmer who is waiting for the precious fruit of the earth. The farmer understands there is a early rain and a latter rain. The latter rain produces the harvest. God is after the hearts of people. Everything is going to be shaken. What is the purpose? His purpose is to bring people to Himself. For God so loved you and everyone else in the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die on a cross and make the way for us to be restored to fellowship with Him! You can now come boldly to the throne of God and find grace and mercy in time of need.
Our hearts are going to need to be firmly established in this hour. James tells us as part of that preparation and establishment of our hearts is going be the need to stop grumbling against one another. What does that mean?
Grumble: 4727 stenazo (sten-ad'-zo); from NT:4728; to make (intransitively, be) in straits, i.e. (by implication) to sigh, murmur, pray inaudibly: KJV - with grief, groan, grudge, sigh.
This is a form of cursing one another and that has it foundation in witchcraft. We are going to take a closer look at witchcraft and the Jezebel spirit next week. Dealing with Jezebel was Elijah’s ultimate mission and which he fell short of. We will look also at why next week. Grumbling against one another will bring condemnation on you if you make it your practice. James goes on to say the judge stands at the door. That same judge is Jesus standing at the door. Let Him in and become like Him! We are being changed from one degree of Glory into the next level of Glory into His very likeness! He is coming and when we see Him we shall be like Him! We are not promised that we are not going to go through anything. We will face the darkness of this day in confrontation just like Elijah did. But we must face this darkness with the glory of the Lord! We must and will arise and shine because deep darkness covers the earth. This is who we really are!
The ultimate intention of the Lord is to bring us into true freedom! Faltering between two opinions will be overthrown by a true revelation of the Word. Jesus is that Word and that’s why the last book in the bible is called the Revelation of Jesus Christ. That whole book is about the Revelation of Jesus Christ! He is the Word! James goes on to say that we must let our Yes be Yes and our No be No. Indecision and double mindedness will lead us into judgment. If you are stuck there, ask the Lord to deliver you and He will. Make a decision today to stay the course and endure to the end. God is with you!
1 Kings 18:42-46 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 43 and said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." So he went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing." And seven times he said, "Go again." 44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, "There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!" So he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.'" 45 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. 46 Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. NKJV
The rain is going to come in great torrents and it’s going to be associated with black clouds and wind. We must not look at the natural circumstances with fear, but through the eyes of faith! And if the atmosphere is really dry, then we must press into the Lord with the eyes of Faith and be persistent until we see it come to pass! Let it rain Lord, Let it rain in great torrents the Revelation of His Word!
Ps 68:8-12 The earth shook; The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel. 9 You, O God, sent a plentiful rain, Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance, When it was weary. 10 Your congregation dwelt in it; You, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor. 11 The Lord gave the word; Great was the company of those who proclaimed it: 12 "Kings of armies flee, they flee,And she who remains at home divides the spoil. NKJV……. Continued Next Week
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