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- Apr 25, 2006
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Forecast: heavy rain
'Seven times he said, "Go again"' 1 Kings 18:43
There's a strange little bit in 1 Kings 18. For over three years there has been a drought in the land. Elijah has just witnessed God embarrass the beliefs of all false-god followers at Carmel. And now the prophet promises rain during a record-breaking dry spell. Elijah tells his servant to go and look for the signs of heavy clouds near the sea. Trouble is, the clouds are nowhere to be found.
Seven times Elijah tells his servant to go back and look for signs of rain and only the last time does the sky showed the smallest sign of a cloud. And yet a few verses later we read about a black sky, a rising wind and heavy rain.
This odd weather forecast story teaches us about the unseen nature of faith. Elijah believes for rain even though he lives in a world of catastrophic drought. Even though the sky shows no promise of rain. Even though seven times nothing has happened.
It would be easy to match up what he's seeing with what he's saying and come to the conclusion that maybe he's wrong. Faith asks us to believe despite what we see.
Faith asks us to persist on believing despite what results we're experiencing. Faith asks for God's reign even in what seems like a long spell of drought. Have you got the faith to believe for revival in this country's long spell of church drought?
written by Bob Gass
'Seven times he said, "Go again"' 1 Kings 18:43
There's a strange little bit in 1 Kings 18. For over three years there has been a drought in the land. Elijah has just witnessed God embarrass the beliefs of all false-god followers at Carmel. And now the prophet promises rain during a record-breaking dry spell. Elijah tells his servant to go and look for the signs of heavy clouds near the sea. Trouble is, the clouds are nowhere to be found.
Seven times Elijah tells his servant to go back and look for signs of rain and only the last time does the sky showed the smallest sign of a cloud. And yet a few verses later we read about a black sky, a rising wind and heavy rain.
This odd weather forecast story teaches us about the unseen nature of faith. Elijah believes for rain even though he lives in a world of catastrophic drought. Even though the sky shows no promise of rain. Even though seven times nothing has happened.
It would be easy to match up what he's seeing with what he's saying and come to the conclusion that maybe he's wrong. Faith asks us to believe despite what we see.
Faith asks us to persist on believing despite what results we're experiencing. Faith asks for God's reign even in what seems like a long spell of drought. Have you got the faith to believe for revival in this country's long spell of church drought?
written by Bob Gass
