1 Kings 18:41-46
Scripture
41 And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain.”
42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees.
43 And he 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.
44 And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’”
45 And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.
46 And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah, and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
Devotion
When James pointed his readers to Elijah, he expected them to remember the story told in 1 Kings 17 and 18. Israel had turned to the worship of Baal under King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, and Baal was honored by his followers as the god who controlled the storms and sent rain upon the land. In 1 Kings 17:1, Elijah announced that there would be neither dew nor rain except by his word, and the long drought that followed made it plain to the whole nation that the Lord alone held the rain in His hand.
Our passage comes immediately after the contest on Mount Carmel, where the Lord answered Elijah with fire from heaven and the people fell on their faces declaring that the Lord is God. The drought, however, had not yet ended, and earlier in the chapter the Lord had already told Elijah that He would send rain upon the earth. What Elijah does next is striking, because a man who has just watched fire fall from heaven climbs to the top of Carmel, bows to the ground with his face between his knees, and prays for the very rain God had promised.
Six times Elijah sends his servant to look toward the sea, and six times the servant returns with the same report that there is nothing there. On the seventh trip, the servant sees a cloud no bigger than a man’s hand rising from the water, and Elijah, trusting that the answer has begun, sends word to Ahab to prepare his chariot. Within a short time the sky grows dark with wind and clouds, the rain falls heavily on the land, and the hand of the Lord comes upon Elijah so that he runs ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to Jezreel.
This scene helps explain what James means when he says Elijah prayed fervently. His prayer was humble, as his posture on the ground shows, and it was persistent, as the seven trips to look toward the sea show, and it was shaped by a promise God had already made. Elijah prayed with confidence because he was asking God to do what God had said He would do, and that same pattern gives us a sure foundation whenever we pray in line with what the Lord has revealed in His Word.
HEAR About It
Explain
What connection do you see between 1 Kings 18:41-46 and James 5:13-18? What new light does it shed on the main passage? What does Elijah’s example teach you about how to pray when an answer seems slow in coming?
Prayer and Reflection
Take a few minutes to sit quietly and reflect on the passage you read today. Let the Holy Spirit bring to mind what stood out to you and why. Then spend some time in prayer. Pray for the people around you, for your outlook on this day, and for the needs you are carrying in your own life.
Lord, You are the God who sends the rain and keeps every promise You make. When I pray and see no sign of an answer, give me the humility and persistence that Elijah showed on Mount Carmel, and teach me to shape my requests around what You have spoken in Your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
