(1 Kings 18:41-44)

Faith, simply put, is taking God at His Word. This is illustrated in John 4:43-50 where a royal official asks Jesus to heal his son. Jesus responds by saying, “You may go, your son will live.” And then we read, “The man took Jesus at his word and departed.” Faith is taking Jesus at his word. When God speaks you can take it to the bank, events will happen and promises will be fulfilled as he says they will. Elijah was a great man of faith, but he was also a man just like us. His trust in God was not always robust; it developed over time as he journeyed through life having to rely on God in such critical circumstances.

Well, the Mt Carmel crisis was over, God proved Himself to be God, the altar was lit and the 450 prophets of Baal paid for it with their lives. Isn’t this a little over the top, Elijah slaughtering 450 false prophets? Well, you need to realize that these men had convinced the nation that Baal was God. Their crime was not simply believing in a false religion, rather they were persuading the nation that the God of the Bible was either fictitious or impotent. The Bible is clear that there is a severity of judgment for those who deliberately lead others astray.

Now, back to Elijah, in verse 41 he tells King Ahab that he can go and enjoy a good meal for the drought is about to end. This might seem a little presumptuous considering that it was a cloudless day! But Elijah was convinced because of his faith in God. And so, while King Ahab prepared a feast Elijah went to prayer. You can tell a lot about a person by their prayer-life; Elijah provides us a great model to consider.

Firstly, Elijah separated himself; he went back to the top of Mount Carmel. Swindoll has this to say, “I’m convinced that one of the reasons we are so lax in prayer is that we have never prepared a place to meet with God. When you want to draw near to the heart of God, you have to get away from the din, away from the confusion, away from the noise and distractions.” Do you have a place like that? I personally have found that regular times of solitude does wonders for the soul and helps me redirect my life toward God and His purposes.

Secondly, Elijah humbled himself; he fell to the ground. Your most vulnerable moment is immediately after a great personal victory. It is then that you must recognize the one from whom all blessings flow. Humility is the only attitude that we can take to prayer. Prayer is an acknowledgement that we can’t cope, we are not in control and that we need help. Our Tuesday night prayer meeting is subtitled with these words, “Desperate people meeting with an infinite God.”

Thirdly, Elijah was specific; his words are not recorded for us but his command to his helper tells us that he was praying for rain. Be specific in your prayer life. Sometimes we are so vague in our prayers, “God bless us, God provide for us, God protect us.” God is our Father, He wants us to be up front and tell Him exactly what it is we need.

Fourthly, Elijah was persistent; seven times Elijah told his helper to look for clouds, six times the answer came back “Still no clouds Elijah”, but Elijah persisted. There are a couple of parables about prayer in the Gospel of Luke, one is about a man hammering away on his neighbours door in the middle of the night, the other is about a nagging woman petitioning a judge until she was satisfied. The principle is clear, keep at it until you have your answer.

And finally, Elijah was expectant; eventually a small cloud appeared in the sky, hardly the sign of a huge downpour, but Elijah was expectant that God was about to end the drought. Have you ever listened to the prayers of a child? Their faith knows no bounds. And they aren’t the least bit surprised when God answers. When we get older we loose that expectancy and that urgency and the anticipation that God is going to answer.

Can I encourage you all in your personal prayer life as well as corporate church-based prayer. Every Tuesday night the church gathers for prayer at Bethlehem College Chapel. Not surprisingly the over 50’s outnumber us younger ones by about 5 to 1. How about joining us and improving that ratio. We will never be the people and Church God wants us to be until such time as we have cultivated an attitude of prayer in our lives and in our Church.