1 KINGS 18:41-42: 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.
There had been a drought for weeks in a Midwest farming community, so some farmers arranged to
gather in a little prairie church and plead for rain. The day appointed for their small church to pray
dawned cloudless, with no sign of rain.
The people gathered and the pastor approached the pulpit. Looking over the congregation, however,
he announced that they would have a benediction and go home. The deacons were quite upset and
confronted the pastor after the service. “Why are you sending us home without praying for rain?” they
wanted to know. “Simple enough,” replied the pastor. “You obviously aren’t expecting God to answer.
None of you brought an umbrella.”
Elijah not only prayed, but he expected an answer. Before the clouds formed or the thunder boomed,
he heard the “sound of abundance of rain.” He knew that he was praying according to the will of God
and he was confident, before any external evidence could confirm his faith, that God would supply the
rain He promised. Elijah’s command to Ahab was based on the assurance of God’s answer, not the
whims of nature.
The Bible tells us to pray without doubting (James 1:6). When we come to God, knowing that we are
asking according to His will, we don’t have to be intimidated by our circumstances. We can have the
confidence that when the time is right, God will answer. We need to act according to His promised
answer, not according to our fearful uncertainties.
As you pray, don’t look around you; look above you. Real answers to prayer don’t come from the
situations we find ourselves in. Real answers come from our Heavenly Father.
PRAY ACCORDING TO FAITH, NOT CIRCUMSTANCES.