A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                THE RUNAWAY PROPHET PART XX

"I, Elijah, the prophet of God, knew it was time to tell king Ahab that rain would be coming soon.... So I began to pray for the rain to come.... I sent my servant to check if rain was on the way.... He did not see anything.... I told him again to look.... But he came back and told me again that he did not see anything....However, I knew that rain was coming.... So I did not stop praying.... And I kept sending the servant to check if rain was on the way.... The seventh time the servant saw a small cloud on the horizon.... It was enough.... Heavy rain was coming.... King Ahab should hurry to get back to his palace.... I passed him as I ran all the way to Jezreel.".... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn that it was time for the prophet Elijah to intercede for rain to once again come....



             ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                THE RUNAWAY PROPHET PART XX

It is only when the false prophets have been removed that the prophet Elijah begins to intercede for the rain to come. Meanwhile the king returns to his palace as you can read in I Kings 28:41-46

And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go eat and drink, for there is the sound of heavy rain." So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. "Go and look towards the seam: he told his servant. And he went up and looked. "There is nothing there," he said. Seven times Elijah said, "Go back."The seventh time, the servant reported, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea." So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, "Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you."Meanwhile the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

God has told Elijah he is going to send rain today but it does not happen right away. In fact, Elijah has to pray seven times before a little cloud appears in the sky. The prophet could have said after praying one time, "God, I don't understand. You have told me that today You are going to send rain so why is it not coming?" But he does not say that. instead, he continues to pray for he knows God will be true to His word and send the rain as promised. And He does. Once it arrives, Elijah makes a run for it, enabled by the power of the Lord, for he knows that it is not just going to rain , it is going to pour.