By ps Kenneth Wong
All of us would agree that it has been a trying time for many of us. We have been stuck in this pandemic for more than a year now. Thankfully, we are beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel as the vaccination slowly kicks in.
It was a similar situation for the nation of Israel during the time of Elijah. The Lord judged the nation with a severe famine for 3 years because of the many sins that were committed in the land. Towards the end of the 3 agonizing years, Elijah challenged the false prophets of Baal and Asherah on Mt Carmel and achieved sweet victory. All the false prophets were executed and the Israelites were beginning to turn back to God. The famine was coming to an end! Breakthrough was just around the corner!
1 Kings 18:41-46 – “Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go get something to eat and drink, for I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!” 42So Ahab went to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees. 43Then he said to his servant, “Go and look out toward the sea.” The servant went and looked, then returned to Elijah and said, “I didn’t see anything.” Seven times Elijah told him to go and look. 44Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, “I saw a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand rising from the sea. Then Elijah shouted, “Hurry to Ahab and tell him, ‘Climb into your chariot and go back home. If you don’t hurry, the rain will stop you!’” 45And soon the sky was black with clouds. A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel. 46 Then the Lord gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel.”
As how Elijah prayed for rain, there are 7 key lessons we can learn from him in praying for a breakthrough during this season, be it in our personal life, family, church ministry, community or in our country.
- Prophetic listening (vs. 41 – “I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!”)
Elijah ‘heard’ that a mighty rainstorm was coming. In the natural, everything might probably appear the same as usual. There weren’t any clear signs in the sky to indicate that a storm was nearing. But not for Elijah. Elijah knew prophetically that God was about to release His blessings on the land. In the same way, do we know the plans and purposes of God for our lives? Are we listening prophetically for His voice? It is time to sit up and ‘listen’ to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord Jesus says this: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says…”
- Humility (vs. 42a – “…bowed low to the ground…”)
The great prophet Elijah bowed down before God in total surrender and submission. He was not consumed by the exhilaration of his victory at Mt. Carmel. Instead, he earnestly sought the Lord and came before Him in humility. As we pray for breakthrough, we need to do some soul-searching. Is there pride in our life that we need to repent of? Have we been so proud of past successes that we have forgotten to depend on Him anymore? Scripture tells us that God resists the proud but He gives grace to the humble. Humility attracts God’s favour in our life. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth!
- Travailing Prayer (vs. 42b – “prayed with his face between his knees.)
Elijah prayed laboriously for his nation. We call this travailing prayer. The image is like how an expecting mother is painfully giving birth to her child. This is how we should be praying for ourselves, for our church and for our nation if we want to experience a breakthrough. It is one thing to pray but it is certainly another thing to travail in prayer. We need to learn how to travail and groan in the spirit until something is birthed in the spiritual realm.
- Expectation (vs. 43 – “Go and look out toward the sea.”)
Elijah commanded his servant to go and look toward the sea to see if there are any changes in the horizon. Elijah wasn’t just praying, but he was praying with expectation. Faith and expectation go hand in hand. We cannot say we have faith if we are not expecting God to move. It is like how the early church prayed for the release of Peter from prison. When Peter showed up at their doorstep, they didn’t believe. They prayed fervently, but they didn’t expect God to answer their prayer miraculously. Are we in danger of making the same mistake of praying but not expecting to receive anything from God?
- Perseverance (vs. 43 – “Seven times Elijah told him to go and look.”)
The servant probably came back to Elijah and said, “There is nothing out there.” But Elijah would not settle for the initial report. He sent his servant to go and look again, and again, and again. Likewise, we need to keep on persevering in prayer. Many revivals in the past happened because there were a group of people who would not give up praying. Don’t be discouraged. Keep on praying. Keep on ‘harassing’ God until something happens!
- Small beginnings (vs. 44 – “I saw a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand”)
And when something happens, it usually starts small. At the seventh time, the servant came back to Elijah and reported that he saw a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand. It is easy to discount that or to ignore it as something that is insignificant. But remember, in Zechariah 4:10, the prophet says this, “For who has despised the day of small things…” Don’t underestimate small beginnings. Learn to celebrate humble beginnings that can and will snowball into something bigger and greater, far beyond what we can ever imagine!
- Supernatural strength (vs. 46 – “Then the Lord gave special strength to Elijah.)
Finally, God gave supernatural strength to Elijah to run so that he would not be overtaken or overwhelmed by the heavy downfall. It is crucially important for us to ask God to give us supernatural strength to do His work when He finally brings showers of blessings over us. It will be such as waste to lose all the fish we have caught just because our nets are not strong enough to contain them. Pray for a breakthrough, we must, but remember to also ask the Lord to empower us to be ever ready to receive His harvest.
May the Lord bless us all as we apply these 7 principles in praying and receiving a breakthrough from Him.