Run or You'll Get Wet!

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Read 1 Kings 18

My last two devotions have given us a glimpse into Elijah’s life, and we continue there today. My favorite part of this account is the last part of chapter 18, when we see Elijah’s faith in God as he continues to wait. We see the first glimpse of this in verse 41. After the demonstration of God’s power and the elimination of the prophets of Baal, Elijah confidently says to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a rainstorm.”
Let me point out, there were still no clouds in the sky (we’ll hear about this in a minute). It was not really thundering or lightning. But Elijah’s faith in God’s promise was unwavering. He knew what God had said, and he had enough life experience with God to know that He was trustworthy.  It is not faith in the outcome that we need, but faith in the God who holds the outcome in His hands. Because of this faith, Elijah could hear the rainstorm before it was there.
At this point, he assumes that posture of worship we have already talked about, and instructs his servant to “go look toward the sea” for a rain cloud. The servant returns with the report that there is no cloud. Elijah stays in his posture of worship, waiting expectantly, and sends the servant out again. Seven times!
Finally, the servant reports that there is a cloud on the horizon, the size of a man’s hand. For Elijah, that little sign was enough to know God was at work. His instructions to Ahab are another reflection of his confident faith. With this tiny little cloud in the sky, Elijah tells Ahab he’d better get going or he was going to get caught in the rain.
That’s the kind of faith I want to have. I want to know God so well that I can trust Him even when I don’t have a sign. I want to trust the Promiser while I’m still waiting for what was promised. I want to trust the outcome because I know the Sovereign One who designed and planned it.

It is not faith in the outcome that we need, but faith in the God who holds the outcome in His hands.

What small sign can you see that shows you God is at work in your situation?
Pause and thank Him for the result you do not yet see.

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