Waiting for the Rain

               I read something recently that I want to share.  It is from a daily devotion published by The Word Among Us and it involves one of the most dramatic stories in the Bible – the contest between Elijah, prophet of the Most Holy God, and the prophets of the non-god Baal.  Refresh your memory by reading this account in I Kings 18. 

What stood out for me wasn’t the actual “contest” itself, which was indeed dramatic, suspenseful and exciting.  It was that which occurred immediately following God’s most powerful and convincing response to Elijah’s sacrificial offering.  Fire from heaven came down and consumed, in a flash, not only the water-soaked wood and fresh carcass of the sacrificial bull, but also the very stones that Elijah used to build the altar!  And quoting without commentary, here is the “meat” of this devotion that stood to me.

“Elijah has just summoned fire from heaven and routed the prophets of the pagan god Baal.  But instead of fleeing immediately so as to avoid the wrath of the wicked Queen Jezebel, he knelt down and waited.  And as he waited, he repeatedly told his servant to check the sky for signs of rain.  (Here I do insert the reminder that earlier Elijah had prayed that no rain would fall for a period of three-and-a-half years.  And now he was waiting, expecting God to return the rain to the land.)  Was God about to prove Himself once more by bringing an end to the drought that had plagued Israel for so long?

               Again and again, the servant peered out toward the sea, and again and again he returned with the same news:  not a cloud in the sky.  But Elijah kept sending him back.  The servant must have wondered if his master lost his mind!  Imagine how relieved he felt when he finally spotted a cloud “as small as a man’s hand.  Rain was on the way, and now they could make their escape.

               How often have you felt like Elijah’s servant? You know that God is trustworthy. You believe that He wants to give you healing or restore your marriage or protect your wayward child.  Yet no matter how many times you look for signs the He is answering your prayer, you see nothing.  Do you keep looking or believing?  Or do you give up?

               Don’t give up!  Keep looking – a hundred times if you have to!  It’s not easy to wait on the Lord.   Especially when you are facing hardship or suffering.  You want to see Him come through right away.  But sometimes having to wait is the best thing that could happen. It forces you to dig deeper into your faith.  It helps you face any doubts or fears that might be lurking in the back of your mind.  And it keeps sending you back to the Lord in prayer.

               The kind of patient waiting that Elija showed, coupled with the persistent seeking that he asked of his servant, is the perfect response to God’s apparent silence.  Because sooner or later, the Lord will answer you.  Sooner or later, He will shower you with His blessings – maybe in ways you aren’t expecting.  And along the way, He will produce in you the kind of stubborn, trusting faith that will sustain you in feast or famine, in drought or downpour, in success or failure.

               “Lord, help me to keep looking for Your coming, no matter how long it takes.