Sound of the Roar

Now Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower.” So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he crouched down on the earth and put his face between his knees.  He said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go back” seven times.  It came about at the seventh time, that he said, “Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ^‘Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’” In a little while the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower. (I Kings 18)

This is such an interesting story…. 

Elijah obeyed, prayed for rain, and now he says he hears the “roar” of a heavy shower. However, no rain had come down yet.  

This is a crucial part of prayer: hearing the answer before it actually rains.  It’s called faith.

Seven times he told his servant to look for clouds of rain and nothing turned up.

I think if I had prayed for rain and seven times I looked to the sky and saw nothing but clear blue, I might be tempted to give up and think God had forgotten me. But Elijah stood firm in his faith because he had obeyed, he heard God, and heard the roar.

The seventh time a small cloud was spotted – a cloud as small as a man’s hand.  

What?  How could he even see a cloud that small? I think it’s because he looking for it and expecting it!

And then we read that “in a little while” there was a heavy shower.

The sound of the roar became the reality of the rain.

Today…pray and believe…and listen for the roar.