Determination alone had him placing one foot in front of the other as he ascended the mountain. It had been an incredible day. Incredibly long. Incredibly emotional. Incredibly miraculous. From the moment he’d spoken to Ahab, arranging the confrontation with the prophets of Baal, things had been non-stop. People had been gathered. Altars had been built. Bulls had been butchered. Offerings had been arranged. Impotent chants and cries of Baal’s followers had crescendoed, destined to go unanswered. After hours of increasingly wild antics, they’d been forced to admit their god wasn’t planning to answer, wasn’t even capable of doing so.
Elijah’s God was. Both capable of and planning to answer. In an astounding answer to the sincere words of repentance that echoed across the silent assembly, the fire of the true God fell from Heaven, consuming the sacrifice. A sacrifice soaked in gallons of water. Not once. Not twice. Three times. When Elijah finally stopped the water brigade, nothing in that sacrifice was dry. It couldn’t have been. So utterly soaked was the entire altar that a rivulet of excess water ran down to fill the trench at the altar’s base.
The people watched in skepticism. Murmurs went through the crowd. Wet wood doesn’t burn. Normally. But this wasn’t a normal day. As the prayer of Elijah lifted toward Heaven, God’s fire fell on earth, igniting the soggy sacrifice. Before their astonished eyes, it all burned. Every. Single. Part. Wet bull. Wet wood. Wet stones. Even the dust and excess water were consumed by the cleansing fire of Almighty God. It was amazing. It was awe-inspiring. It would have been a magnificent high point on which to end Elijah’s day. But it wasn’t a stopping point. There was still more to do. The prophets of Baal had to be dispatched and the prophet of God had a consultation at the top of Mount Carmel.
It was to this divine appointment Elijah was currently headed. Hiking up the mountainside, the aftermath of that enormous victory set in. Although blessed beyond measure to be part of God’s work in his day, Elijah was tired. Physically exhausted. Mentally spent. Emotionally drained. Faith alone carried him up that path. Confidence in God’s promise to end the drought had him continually moving forward. Deep-seated knowledge that torrential rain was gathering in the distance kept Elijah going until he reached the top of Mount Carmel. Once there, he collapsed to the ground, dropped his face to his knees, and began the next phase of God’s plan. Elijah prayed. Again.
There seems to be no record of the words Elijah prayed as he knelt prostrate before God. Our humanity having only a certain amount of usable energy leads one to believe his words were direct. A simple request for the actuation of the promised rain. He believed it was coming. The power of his faith could hear it building. As the words left his lips, his expectant heart thought for sure the skies would immediately darken. They didn’t. No sound of abundant rain met his ears. Thinking perhaps the clouds were still forming on the horizon, he sent his servant to check. Look toward the sea. Search the sky for clouds. Come back and report. Is the rain coming yet?
How disappointed must Elijah have been when the first answer was negative. He’d spent an entire day building up to this grand event, yet his prayer had apparently fallen on deaf ears. Rain did not immediately start falling when the request left his lips. Floods did not roar in from the sea. The sky didn’t even begin to darken. According to human standards, not one thing happened when Elijah uttered his initial prayer. He didn’t give up. Couldn’t be persuaded to do so. His faith that the answer was coming kept him on his knees. Praying. And praying. And praying.
Five more times Elijah’s servant would come back sadly shaking his head in response to the unasked question. Elijah kept praying, kept entreating Heaven for the promised result. His faith didn’t falter. His courage didn’t wane. His belief that what God promised would be performed didn’t tumble to the ground when he didn’t immediately see the answer. He didn’t give up in defeat when it seemed God had dashed off to help someone else. No. Elijah stayed right there. In the same spot, the same position. Face buried in his knees. Sobs wracking his body. Tears flowing. Heart-wrenching. Desperately willing God to answer in power and might with something tangible. Right there. Right then. Send rain. Not just because the earth was dry and barren and cracking. Not simply because crops and cattle were perishing. Elijah’s prayers weren’t all about ending the horrific drought. No. Elijah’s prayers were for the people. People who had spent the last several years buried in idol worship, following the desires of their own hearts, doing what was right in their own eyes. People who were constantly swaying between two different opinions. People who clearly needed sight before they were willing to cast their faith. As much as the earth needed to drink water for life, God’s people needed to drink the Water of Life. The plight of their souls depended on it.
On his seventh trip to gaze over the sea, the servant’s shocked gaze landed on something different. Something new. Something unexpected. He hadn’t anticipated a cloud, small or otherwise. Somewhere between the second trek and the seventh, his faith had wobbled. He’d felt concern that God wasn’t going to answer, perhaps He’d had a change of plans. His heart ached for his faithful, fearless leader who believed God would send rain. It appeared his fervent prayers would go unanswered. Had he been the one doing the praying, the servant would have long since given up. Told himself he’d done enough. He’d prayed. He’d hoped. He’d believed. Now he could descend the mountain and go to bed. He’d done all he could do. It was up to God. Elijah would vehemently disagree.
With every negative report, Elijah remained unmoved. His prayers for rain continued to ascend. He didn’t walk away and hope God would answer someday, whenever He chose. No. With every “no” answer, Elijah beseeched more. He refused to stop praying until the answer materialized. And it did. In a pounding, blinding, torrential rain, God responded to the prayers of Elijah. Fervent prayers. Faith-full prayers. Unceasing prayers. All met with abundant answers in God’s time, in God’s way, for God’s glory. Why? Because Elijah didn’t stop praying, didn’t stop believing, didn’t stop hoping and his faith became sight. (I Kings 18:41-46)
Some days we pray the same way. We approach Heaven with the fervency and tenacity of Elijah asking God to send rain. Like the persistent widow in Jesus’ New Testament parable, we keep coming back, asking over and over again. refusing to give up. Our hearts twist and pull with the urgency of seeing God move and work and do the things we’ve so desperately been asking Him to do for such a long time. Racing to the window of our lives, we expectantly check the horizon, looking for a sign, a cloud, a drop of rain. When our searching gaze is met with nothing and we find ourselves suspended in the tension between our urgent prayers and God’s wise delay, the evil one swoops in and suggests we just give up. Quit praying. Stop hoping. Abandon our faith. It would be so easy to do so.
Don’t you dare do it. Don’t you dare give up, throw in the towel, or surrender to the whining voice of the evil one filling your head with lies. Keep praying. Keep hoping. Keep believing. Keep the faith. Like Elijah bowed before the Lord in consistent, desperate, intercessory prayer for the people and land around him, keep praying for the people and situations that burden your soul. Even when you can’t see the answer. Even when you don’t see progress. Even when it feels like God isn’t listening. He is and He rewards those who seek Him in faith, believing that what He has promised He will unfailingly do. (Hebrews 11:6; I John 5:14; I Peter 3:12; Psalm 66:17-20)
At the end of Jesus’ parable of the persistent widow, He asks a question we often overlook, but shouldn’t. A question that should make us evaluate ourselves, our prayer lives, our approach to the throne of God. Jesus asks, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” Well, will He? If it rests on you alone, will He find faith that He will answer your prayers? Will He find consistent asking, seeking, knocking? Will He find your heart constantly bowed before Him in petition for rain. Spiritual rain. Drenching downpours of His Spirit. Showers of blessing on our lives. A deluge of the water of life on the parched landscape of our world. Will He find you praying still for the answer you’ve sought for a week, a year, a decade? If the Son of Man made His grand entrance into your prayer closet today, would He find your faith intact, your belief in His promises strong no matter how tired you are, no matter how worn you’ve become, no matter how many times you’ve looked for an answer and found none? Like Elijah, are you an example of faith on earth? (Luke 18:1-8; Ezekiel 34:26-27; Isaiah 55; Matthew 7:7-12; Zechariah 10:1)
I hope you are. No matter what you are praying for today, what you’ve been weeping over for the last week, what’s broken your heart and driven you to your knees for the last month, year or decade, I hope you are still praying. I hope you’re still actively watching for the answer. Why? Because I know our God. Our soul-saving, miracle-working, victory-bestowing God is still at work today. Just like He was for Elijah. His power hasn’t depleted. His strength hasn’t failed. He’s still the same mighty God in whom Elijah placed every ounce of his faith. And He’s asking you to place your faith in Him too. Cast your cares on Him and let Him care for you. Call on Him and let Him answer. Cry out to Him and let Him find you, help you, heal your soul, meet your needs. No matter how many times you’ve prayed the same prayer, made the same request, laid the same soul at His feet. Keep praying. Keep believing. Be faithful to keep the faith today, tomorrow, always. When the Son of Man comes, may He find you faithfully faith–full. (Jeremiah 33:3; I Peter 5:7-10; Isaiah 59:1; I Chronicles 28:9; Romans 12:12; Psalm 55:16,17; Mark 11:22; Psalm 145:13)
Faith Matters!!!