“Get ready for rain!” Elijah told King Ahab.
No rain had fallen for three and a half years, but God had promised rain and Elijah believed Him. Elijah prayed for rain and sent his servant to look out toward the sea. Six times the servant returned with the same answer: “I see nothing.”
Elijah continued to pray. This time, the servant hurried back with news: “I see a little cloud rising from the sea. It’s so small … about the size of a man’s hand.”
Woosh! The wind blew in cold and damp. Dark clouds rolled across the sky. Boom! Thunder rolled. It began to pour down rain.
The rain was so heavy that Ahab could not see the road, but God gave Elijah special strength. He ran ahead of the chariot all the way to Ahab’s hometown.
When Ahab told his wife Jezabel all that had happened that day, she got mad. She wanted to kill Elijah because he showed that God was the only true God. When Elijah heard he was in danger, he ran again. This time, he ran in his own strength. He ran all day until he couldn’t run anymore. Then he slept under a tree.
An angel woke him and said, “Get up and eat!” After eating, Elijah slept again. Again, an angel woke him and gave him more food and water. Elijah walked to Mount Sinai and rested in a cave. In the morning, God said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?"
God wanted Elijah to think about why he had run away from the bully, Jezebel. Elijah had been strong for God when the rain fell, but he forgot that God was with him.
Elijah was tired, hungry and lonely. God fed him, gave him time to nap and told him that 7,000 people in Israel loved God. God also gave Elijah a helper who would someday replace him as God's prophet.
There are still people like Ahab who believe in a false god and bullies like Jezebel. Elijah’s story reminds us that God stays with us when we feel sad, tired, afraid or lonely. He feeds us, gives us rest and fills us with His love and power. We can trust Him to pour down His Spirit on us as surely as He sent heavy rain to water the dry land.
You can read 1 Kings 18:41–46 and Joel 2:25 for family worship.
