Be Obedient, And Consistent In Prayer
And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 43 and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.” 44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!”
(I Kings 18:42-44)
Answered prayer. We all have prayed for something and then waited with anticipation for an answer. For some it’s broken chains to an addiction, a bad habit or a negative mindset. For others, it’s healing from an illness (physical or spiritual), being hurt by others or grief due to a loss of a loved one. Yet others seek an answer to prayer regarding a problem at work, in their family or in their community. It doesn’t matter what the problem is, we pray for an answer, for help. The question is…how long are you willing to wait for it and will you still accept the help if it doesn’t come the way you expect?
After three years of a drought, God told Elijah “Go and present yourself to King Ahab and tell him that I will send rain.” . After informing King Ahab that rain would fall, Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees. He then told his servant to go up and look toward the sea. His servant told him there was nothing. Seven times he had to tell his servant to “go again”. Verse 44 tells us the following:
Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!”
The sky then became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. Elijah did not quit praying until he saw confirmation his prayer was answered. Elijah did not give up. His faith in God would not allow him too. Our faith needs to be the same when we are trying to heal and overcome a problem. Many times we think we have to do all of these things to obtain our answer when sometimes it’s just a matter of prayer. Elijah himself could not make it rain and he knew this. Yet he knew the one who had the power to make it rain. It took Elijah’s faith and dedication to prayer for the answer to come forth. He was obedient to what God had wanted him to do…pray. How dedicated are you in praying until you receive an answer be it yes or no? Are you consistent in praying for God to take care of the problem or do you toss up some requests and hope for the best. Have you invited Him into the situation to help? These are important questions to consider when you are trying to overcome a stronghold, problem or healing. Are there times where God may say “no”? Yes, but during those times He may give you the endurance to get through the situation or utilize you to help others with the same problem.
In 2 Kings 5 we find Naaman, who was the commander of the army of the King of Syria. He was a great and honorable man in the eyes of the king because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but he had one problem…he was a leper. He was informed about the Prophet Elisha who could heal him and traveled to see him. However, due to Naaman’s pride, he almost walked away from that healing because it did not come in a way he thought it should have. First, Elisha did not meet Naaman at the door but instead sent a messenger out to meet him. He was then told to go and wash himself seven times in the Jordan River, then his skin will be restored, and he would be healed of his leprosy. This angered Naaman because he had expectations…he expected Elisha to meet him at the door and to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord and heal him (verse 11). Then he expected to be sent to cleaner rivers other than the Jordan river which was dirty. So he walked away angry until his officers reasoned with him saying that if Elisha had told him to do something difficult, he would have done it. So he should be obedient and “go wash and be cured”. Naaman went to the Jordan River, submerged himself seven times in the water and his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child, and was healed.
Many times our expectations of what we think God should do is quite different than what He actually does. We might expect him to help us in a certain way or use certain people and then question His help when it’s given. God isn’t beyond using the dirty to get us clean or answer prayers. Due to Naaman’s expectations and pride, he almost walked away from his healing. But once he relented and obeyed the instructions he was given, he was healed.
Are you holding on to an expectation that may prohibit you from moving forward in your healing? Go before the Lord and seek the answer, then do what He instructs you to do through His Word. He may not work the way you expected, but when you obey His instructions, you will be healed however He feels is best for you. He always gives us His best!