Waiting for Rain

"'Go and look toward the sea,' 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 on 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."
1 Kings 18:43-46

It had not rained on the land for several years. The drought was so severe that many people and animals died. No crops could be grown and disease was rampant. Things were bad, really bad. But God had raised up a man named Elijah. He was one of the early prophets and one who performed several recorded miracles. Elijah saw something different than anyone else did. He saw the situation through the eyes of faith that God had given him. The drought was not as big as God and Elijah was confident..
    I'm thinking today that there are many of us who are going through a time of great drought. The drought may be a spiritual one where we feel we are not connecting with God. Our prayers seem weak and cold, and there seems to be no response from God. Others are facing financial droughts, relationship droughts or health droughts. All of these are very lonely places and times. They can wear on us emotionally to the point that we feel there is little to no chance of change. But there is a change of seasons coming. Rain is on the way and the dry parched land of your life is going to again be fertile with the blessings of God.
    Elijah had a faith that was birthed through his relationship with God. He had seen God do great things before as he had faced his own times of suffering. He had overcome fear and despair to become the man that God had called him to be. Elijah believed that God had told him rain was coming on the land. So he sent his servant to look and see if there were any clouds. The drought was so severe that no clouds appeared. So the first time when the servant reported that there were no clouds, most of us would have said, "Well, I guess I didn't really hear God on that one." But Elijah didn't waver. In fact, six times the servant came back with the same report, no clouds. But Elijah told him to go look again, and there on the horizon was a small cloud that looked the size of a man's hand. this was good enough for Elijah. He knew his God, he knew his voice, and he knew that rain was coming. And rain did come...heavy rain. The drought ended with glorious rain from the heavens.
    Let's be encouraged today to not give up. Though our faith seems weak and the drought seems to have no end, there is a cloud forming on the horizon. It is filled with the blessings of heaven and even now it approaches our dry and weary lives. Don't give up. Don't sacrifice your confidence in God to the puny lies of the enemy. God has not forgotten, he has never forsaken us, and he is closer than we can imagine. His blessings are coming. It's going to rain and the dry places will become pools of blessing and rivers of abundance. Our desert will never look the same again. Believe, persevere, and wait. Rain is on the way!