Chapter 172. 1 Kings 18:40-4640And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there. 41And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. 42So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, 43And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. 44And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. 45And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. 46And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. (1 Kings 18:40‑46) Elijah’s Prayer.
GOD had fully shown Israel, by accepting Elijah’s offering on Mount Carmel, that He alone is God, and the people had to fall on their faces, and cry, “The Lord, He is the God; the Lord, He is the God!” Wicked King Ahab, too, could not but see and acknowledge God in his heart, although it produced no change in him, except that he did not oppose the slaying of the priests of the idol Baal. His heart had become hardened, and he was indifferent at the sight of the solemn answer of God. Elijah could only say to him, “Go eat and drink, for there is a sound of abundance of rain.” The king, not unwillingly, left the prophet, and Elijah went to the top of Mount Carmel. He felt the need to be alone with God, and to pray for the rain the people had so long wanted. He cast himself upon the ground, hiding his face, and cried to God. Happy Elijah knew where to go for his needs and those of others! Happy, indeed, all those who go to the Lord with all their cares. “Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you,” and “Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.” Elijah trusted the Lord and expected an answer to his prayer. After a while, he told his servant to go and look toward the sea. The young man went, but soon came back to his master, saying, “There is nothing.” Seven times this happened. He persevered in prayer as the Christian is exhorted to do. He knew that soon the rain would fall, for God had promised it, and he waited patiently, praying in faith till the right time came. God does not always answer prayers directly. Sometimes He waits a long time before He answers them. Does God then, attend to our prayers? Yes, but He knows what is good for us better than we do, and He often sees it best that we should wait for what we ask. Let us do as Elijah did; he prayed and waited a long time, and God answered his prayer and gave him what he asked.
The servant at last came back and said, “Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand.” Then. Elijah knew that the rain was coming. Soon the small cloud would have grown, so it would cover the sky. Elijah thought of the king feasting, and unconscious that unless he hurried, the rain might drench him, and make the way home difficult, so Elijah sent his servant to warn him, telling him, “Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.” By that time the sky had become black with clouds, the wind blew and the rain fell in torrents. Ahab entered his chariot and rode to Jezreel. Elijah, moved of the Lord, and to show honor to the king, as God says we must do, ran, ahead of him all the way as his forerunner. No doubt Elijah wanted to show the king, and the people, too, that although he had to disregard the will of the king, yet he wanted to give the king his proper place, and honor him. God must surely have been much pleased with such humility.
If Elijah was taking the place of a servant of the king, he must have been conscious that he was the servant of the King of Kings. If, like Elijah, we are much before God in prayer and seeking His will, we shall show more of this humbleness of mind so pleasing to Him.
ML 02/04/1917