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When the sky remains clear, and there is absolutely no sign of the impending rain that God had promised or in other words, when an answer to your prayer still remains a remote impossibility; it is then that you need to remember that, The God of Elijah, is yours too. And therefore, you also can pray and praise again, to be led forward even in the midst of times that are threatening and uncertain. For, surely there is a future, and in Christ, you have a hope that will never be cut off. Continuing to meditate upon the psalmist’s prayer, therefore, is not empty theology, but a step closer towards your divine destiny, which alone can truly satisfy your soul, Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. May Your good Spirit lead me on the level ground [Psalm 143:10].
It becomes possible in a relationship with God, as your Abba, Father, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God [Romans 8:14]. You are led and not dragged along in compulsion is what the scripture indicates. And it makes all the difference, for you will know, and also have the confidence and clarity, that you will surely and certainly reach your place of godly destiny, no matter how difficult it may seem in your present environment. And it is whereas the apostle James has set forth in his epistle, the bible being honest and factual concerning the nature of men who accomplished great things for a great God can speak encouragement and strength in your inner being that you may not give up on what God has placed in your heart, the divine desire that is a planting of the Lord. Elijah was an ordinary man, a mere mortal, very much like you and I. But he served an extraordinary God, and so do we [James 5:17]. And it was the reason why he could rise up and do what he did when there was no immediate answer from God.
Elijah prayed – again :
And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit [vs 18]. One needs to be aware of the context of it, of what was going on in Elijah’s life at that time in order to appreciate how great would have been the tussle within him, in order to turn to the Lord in prayer yet again [1 kings 18:42]. For, the promise of rain was the word from God to him. But, as is invariably the case, when a promise from God comes to you, it is ever so often followed by a problem that hinders your faith that is necessary in order to hold on to the promise. And it is when you need to pray. For, it is how you can experience peace and strength even in a troubling situation.
Receiving strength- to pray again :
It was very much the case with Elijah too. For, previously, his prayer when he called upon the Lord, with the prophets of Baal looking on, was answered immediately by fire from heaven, that came down upon the altar of sacrifice that Elijah had prepared. It established in the process to the onlookers, who the True Living God was. But now, when he had prayed for the rain, that God had promised, there was no sign of it at all. It is easy to get discouraged and find it difficult to pray in such a situation. But, it is then that God encourages you to pray, yet again. It is what Elijah was enabled to do by God’s work of grace upon his beleaguered soul.
When it is a question of ‘when?’! :
The promise of God comes with a specific procedure, that in itself is its empowering, even as you apply it; and it is described herein the words of the psalmist, Behold, as the eyes of the servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the Lord our God until He has mercy on us [Psalm 123:2]. It is all about His mercy, and being focused on the Lord, till you receive it, the timing of which is something that is in His All-knowing, and All sufficient Hand. But the journey may be a difficult one, even as the psalmist acknowledges it to be, for people who are at ease all around you, whose lives seem to be flourishing, in their resultant arrogance could be looking down upon you with condescending words, stoking the already burning fire with more oil [Psalm 123:4].
Calling upon the Lord as being your Rock, could be theological truth that you believe in, but your present circumstance, as you are surrounded by people who question the presence of God with you, could make praying a struggle, and quite understandably so, even as the psalmist David, at one point, has described his plight to be [Psalm 42:9,10]. But his approach towards resolving it is what can be yours and mine too.
His song – your prayer! :
For, as a Christian, you can face challenges and trouble that are in many ways unique and peculiar, as you come under the radar of the devil, who tries to bring you down and lead you astray from the plan that God has for your life. But as you call unto the Lord, as deep calls unto deep [vs 7]. You can say as the psalmist does, The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and even in the night, His song shall be with me, a prayer to the God of my life [Psalm 42:8].
Difficult times – yet praise! :
And, when you are a Christian, there is purpose in every circumstance, even in a night season of suffering. It develops in you the quality of endurance, that is an aspect of a godly character. It is why you can declare with confidence, Why are you cast down, O my soul? Why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him; The help of my countenance and my God [vs 11].
As is the case with people all over the globe at present, you too could be facing strange and never before seen difficulties, but as a child of God, you can yet praise Him, and in the Lord find the strength to pray to Him. The psalmist prayed again, and he praised again. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. But, how do you find the strength to pray, when you have no strength even to weep and cry? And for David, it was, when the Amalekites at Ziklag, had ravaged and plundered him, and his people, taking captive even his own family members. Yet in his weakness, David strengthened himself in the Lord, to inquire of Him.
God was the help of his countenance, counseling him to pursue the enemy, and not lament over his loss. And David did so to receive what the Lord had promised would be the fruit of it. He recovered all [1 Samuel 30:1-8]. And it is the message that God speaks concerning any loss that you may have encountered in the course of the past couple of years when each day has had troubles of its own. For in the midst of it all, in the Lord who has birthed in you His desire, His good and perfect will for your life, you can also find your strength for a determination that leads you to pursue it, leading you to find restoration. In the righteousness of Christ, you stand righteous, and though as the righteous you may have many troubles, the Lord will stand with you to deliver you out of it all.
Dealing with delay :
For when an answering rain from God is delayed in your life, as it was in Elijah’s, it can easily bring discouragement in you, that eventually leads to disillusionment or an absence of hope within you. And the desire that God had placed in you, as the springboard for His plan to come to pass in your life, could be in your eyes best forgotten, as it was too late. Regret could be what engulfs your soul now, expressed in the most sorrowful words, ‘If only. Martha and Mary said so to the Lord, as they stood at the tomb of Lazarus, their brother. But to the Lord, it was not a death that could have been avoided, but His presence that overcame death, the last enemy, to bring restoration and rejoicing [John 11:21-44]. In the case of Abraham and Sarah, they had stopped hoping for the son of promise, and maybe given up on their prayer, considering themselves to be too old, for it to come to pass in their lives. And physically speaking it was also a fact.
But God changed the goalpost when it came to their lives, and what was disbelieving laughter initially, became a joyous one at the birth of their son. And Abraham called him, Isaac or ‘laughter’, as Sarah rejoiced saying,’ God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me’ [Genesis 21:1-6]. And on this special month, as we remember and celebrate the birth of the Savior, one remembers too that Zechariah, the priest serving in the temple, probably did not remember, owing to the passage of time that had seen him and his wife Elizabeth grow old, that they had been earnestly praying for a child. But God remembered! And His answer came in the fullness of time, making it difficult indeed for Zechariah to believe that it could happen [Luke 1:5-18]. And thus was the birth of the man sent from God, whose name was John, who came to bear witness of the Light, the Lamb of God, Jesus the Messiah.
And in the scriptures is written, the parable that the Lord has spoken wherein He acknowledges the possibility of giving up on your prayer, living as you are in a fallen world. But it is to reveal to you the course of action that needs to be yours in such a situation. For, you serve a God who is faithful and just. Therefore you need to…
Pursue; persist in prayer :
The parable is about a widow, who kept going to an unjust judge to find justice from her adversary. And it ultimately wearied him and made him do what was needed to remedy her unfair situation. She did not give up on her petition but persisted in it until even the unjust judge did what was right to give her what she had been seeking [Luke 18:4,5]. But God is righteous; He is good and upright, and all His ways are just. Persisting in prayer is not about nagging God, focusing again and again on your need, but in faith beginning to thank God for a need that has already been met, and is yet to be manifested. Only believe, as the Lord has Himself said ‘Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them’ [Mark 11:24].
And some things take time; but the Lord has made all things beautiful, in its time. It can be a period of waiting; a long wait, but the Lord is never late in answering your prayer. It is also where the church finds a place in God’s agenda, to be a congregation in which dimly burning wicks can in corporate worship and mutual encouragement be transformed to be sparkling flames, with hearts burning like fire. The woman in the synagogue was bent, oppressed by the evil one for eighteen long years; but one day, the Lord called her, to speak healing upon her, and she was immediately straightened and began to glorify God [Luke 13:10-13]. You may have been travailing in prayer for a long period, with no visible result. But God knows, and you too will stand!
The prayer support – to pursue :
The word ‘prayer support’ has become a well-worn cliche, but the need for it when you need to persist in prayer in the face of negative circumstances, cannot be overemphasized. It can sometimes make all the difference as portrayed in Joshua fighting against Amalek, with Moses interceding for him in prayer with hands uplifted. And when his hands became heavy, and Moses became physically weary, Aaron and Hur were his prayer support! [Exodus 17:8-13]. It is a beautiful picture of what happens even in the spiritual realm when you meet together as the body of Christ, the church, in prayer and supplication, and encouragement to build each other up. And above all, the Lord prayed again, in the Garden of Gethsemane, in suffering and pain, surrendering Himself to the will of God [Matthew 26:42]. He Himself suffered; He knows it all; And in the strength He gives you, you can pray again and praise again! You have a Helper, the Spirit of Christ who is now in you.
The Spirit intercedes – that you may pray again :
Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered [Romans 8:26]. The Holy Spirit sustains in you the desire to pray, gives you the strength to pray, and puts the right words on your tongue.
Christ makes intercession for you :
And you have a voice in heaven, Christ Himself, exalted and glorified, at the Father’s side, interceding for you. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, who furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us [Romans 8:34]. It is the powerful dual combination of the Son of God, and the Spirit of God, by which the voice in heaven becomes the voice of God in you, by the Spirit, interceding for you; and therefore, you can certainly pray again and praise again. And it will see His will being done, and His Kingdom come!
Heavens opened! :
As Elijah persisted in praying again, in strength that was divine in its source, the heavens opened with blessed rain, signaling an end of the drought that had prevailed over the land for three and a half years. He is a faithful God, and your trusted friend; and you can cast aside needless pain that you may be bearing, and receive His peace, instead of forfeiting it, when you take it all to Him in prayer, and pray again, to praise again!.
And, as in the posture of Moses you stand, humbly acknowledging the presence and greatness of God the Father, with uplifted hands, may you be strengthened even now, to pray again, even as Elijah did, and be filled with power to pursue His plan for your life, in the blessed assurance that His purposes will surely come to pass. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
