1 Kings 18:44 – The seventh time the servant reported (to Elijah), “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea”. Hope and faith do not relent, but keep hoping that what the Lord will do for us will come at His best time. Even when there is no sign for quite some time, our hope and faith in the Lord will make us to keep hoping and trusting in Him. His delays are not denials, but only His affirmation that He is working on our needs and will accomplish what He wants in our lives at the right time. In our estimates, it might sound like a delay, but in the Lord’s estimates, His answers come at the right time. Elijah learnt this lesson well in his life as he ministered in Israel. He kept hoping and praying for the Lord to work out His plan for His people. Elijah has announced by faith that there would be rain, and he did it in the name of the Lord. He had heard the sound of abundance of rain by faith and knew very well that it would soon come. Even when there is no visible sign, it would not discourage God’s servant who lives by faith. His faith leads him to keep looking for the evidence of the starting of rain up to seven times. For God’s servant who lives by faith, a cloud of the size of a man’s hand is sufficient to believe that there would be abundance of rain shortly, but even before it appeared, he believed that it would come. He doesn’t need to see a large cloud to believe in His God and His might. God expects us to have such strong faith which is often contrary to signs or even a situation of no sign at all. Abraham had such strong faith to believe that God would give him a son to become a link to the blessings God has promised him, and so he never relented in his faith and trust in the Lord. Both Jacob and Joseph had the faith that one day God will take His children back to Canaan from Egypt. David, Nehemiah, Gideon, Joshua, Isaiah, John the Baptizer, Paul and others had the faith to keep going against all the odds to believe that God would fulfill His promises to them and will accomplish His purpose in and through them. The same God who worked in and through these great servants will work in and through us if we trust Him to accomplish His purpose in us. As we trust Him, He expects us to submit ourselves to Him totally so that He can use us as instruments to bring blessings to others.
Dear friend, is there a drought in your life and that you are unable to see the showers of blessing lately? The same God who is able to bring fire from Heaven to burn the sacrifice on the alter at Mount Carmel will also bring in rain to drench the soil and give the living beings water to drink. His rain of blessings will also cool the over-heated and stressful environment around you. He wants you to believe Him and to put all your trust in Him that He will accomplish His purpose in and through you by bringing in the necessary changes in your situations. Things might look hopeless and heated up with tensions. Perhaps there are no signs that any thing dramatic is going to happen. But if you look again and again by faith, believing that the Lord’s hands will soon be visible, you will be able to see His hand in the horizon. You can hear the sound of abundance of rain of blessings by faith if only you believe and look. Perhaps there are waterless clouds of discouragement and emptiness which hinders you from seeing the hand of the Lord at work. But look again by faith, and you will soon see the movement of the hand of the Lord at work. Today He is waiting patiently to see if your faith is strong enough to trust Him to bring in the showers. His delay is to make you work on your faith to believe Him against all odds. Even if He seems to be late, He will come at the right time. Perhaps you think He is late as felt by Mary and Martha at Bethany, but He comes at the right time so that His name would be glorified. He went walking on the water when all hope of safety was gone on the fourth watch of the night in a stormy sea. The same Lord is waiting to see you through your concerns and burdens as you trust Him when everything looks hopeless. Remember, He is the Lord of hope who will never disappoint you, but will bring in showers of blessings on you at the right time. So let us look at Him and look for Him once again to see His hand in our situation for His glory.
Psalms 27:14 – Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Thought for TodayA small signal in God’s economy might be an indication of great and mighty works which He ushers in for His children.
