KEEP CHECKING

• DAY 271
• FAITH FILE: ELIJAH
• SCRIPTURES: 1 KINGS 18:41-44

Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” 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, 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.” 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.’ ” 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.

One feature I would like to change about prayer is that sometimes the answer doesn’t come immediately after you start praying. If we could just remove that part, it would be really great. That would mean that the moment I open my mouth, I receive it, and I have it. Because there is a difference between receiving and having.

Receiving is you have it in the spirit. Having it is you now have it in the realm that your eyes can see and everybody can see and testify with you. Often when we pray, we don’t have the have part yet. We receive it but we don’t have it yet.

And that can be very frustrating. Because you needed the thing you were praying for at that time you were praying for it. It would have been great if you asked and it just fell on you. Sometimes prayers do come immediately. But some of the time it doesn’t. And Jesus told us this in like 18.

The Faith Distance

The distance between the prayer and the answer, that middle place where you are waiting and praying can be very tough and difficult. You have to confess while believing and acting like you have what you are praying for even when you have not seen it yet. You have to ignore every single thing that you are seeing because you walk by faith and not by sight. And at the same time you cannot allow your hope to wane.

It can seem like a lot especially when everything that you see is contradicting everything that He said. But that is what faith is for; To hold out in that time where you are expecting what you haven’t seen. Because if there was no holding out period. What is the purpose of hope, faith, and love?

In our text, Elijah is praying for the rain that God said was coming. He is praying for the rain that God sent him to go tell Ahab about but there is no sign of rain. He said I hear the sound of abundance of rain before he began praying. As he prayed he believed and so he sent his assistant to go check for the rain.

Go Back

And although he came back with no good report he kept sending him back to go check. Why? Because he knew that if God said there is abundance of rain, there is abundance of rain. Somebody must not be getting the signal, because God doesn’t lie. And so he cannot give up hope. Since he is sure of rain he cannot walk with what he is seeing.

I know how tough it can be to keep seeing a negative report when you are expecting a positive. I am currently trying for a baby and I must confess seeing one strip on the home test bites really hard. But I get another pregnancy test and I don’t buy more than one set of sanitary supplies because I believe what God said about me. I will keep checking. One day I will write about my babies and you will read it.

I’m not sure what you are believing for, but I know that if God said it, it MUST happen. Do not be afraid.

Shalom