The media headlines are filled with reports of droughts throughout the world including parts of the United States. With those reports we hear of corresponding devastation of massive fires, food shortages, insect infestations, shortage of drinking water, and many other related issues. Throughout the ages droughts have been recorded in ancient and modern historical records. What is striking today is that people are now looking to pass blame regarding their causes and propose solutions to correct their occurrences and devastation. A debate rages between those who espouse global weather changes on humanity’s impact upon our environment and those that propose that current weather is more related to weather cycles naturally occurring throughout history. Still others conclude droughts are the product of a combination of both factors. So, what should be done?
A story is told that years ago a community
in mid-America was facing a crisis because of a drought. The crops were failing,
and financial ruin faced the region. They were so desperate that the community
leaders called for a special prayer meeting for the community in the town
square. The people flocked to the prayer meeting under the cloudless, blazing
summer sun. One little guy came a little late to the gathering dressed in rain
gear and brandishing and umbrella. People rather bemused looked at him oddly
and commented on his attire. He responded, “I thought if we are praying for
rain then I should be prepared.” He had a different view about prayer and how
God answered. The townspeople saw prayer as an expression of desperation. The
lad looked at prayer with anticipation that God may alter the most desperate of
situations. Faith-energized prayers can alter our perspective so that our
desperation can be morphed into hope-filled expectation.
A biblical account in the Old Testament
speaks about Elijah the prophet’s drought experience (1 Kings 17-18). God had
given him a message to declare that there would be a drought for at least three
years in Israel. Their national sin had activated a curse upon the nation (Deuteronomy
11:16-17). The biblical record portrays Elijah, not as a super-saint, but as “a
man with a nature like ours” (James 5:17-18). Yet, with all his weaknesses –
even becoming so discouraged that he wished he could die and being so fearful
that he ran for his life – he came to God by faith and prayed. When he prayed,
like the little lad in the previous story, he did so with anticipation believing
that God would answer his prayer.
Elijah previously experienced a number of miraculous
events including food, life, and fire from heaven. After all these provisions,
he wants one more thing from God – rain from heaven. He announces to an evil
king that there was an “abundance of rain” coming (1 Kings 18:41). Then he prayed.
After a bit he asked his servant to check – not ACCU weather – the sky. Nothing!
Prayed again and checked again. Six times he had the servant check, and the
forecast was the same – nothing! What may have been going through Elijah’s mind
as the reports came back? “I feel like an idiot.” “I guess God has let me
down.” “I need to pray harder.” “This is useless.” “I give up.” His response
was to keep praying. On the seventh observation the servant reports, “There is
a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” (18:44). That was
all Elijah needed to hear. He announced to Ahab, that evil king, “Prepare your
chariot, and go down before the rain stops you” (18:44). He saw in that small cloud
a hope-filled expectation of what God was going to do – abundant rain!
How unlike the lad with the raincoat and umbrella, or like Elijah at Mt. Carmel, I am. I go through the motions of praying and asking God to work in the circumstances of my life. However, I often do not expect things to be altered. If there is not an immediate result, I assume that praying is useless and the issue must be beyond God’s intervention. I need to remember that my praying needs to reflect anticipation and persistence. In the New Testament I have gleaned additional reminders. God may choose to answer prayers in a different way than I expected because, “God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20 NLT). Also, I am reminded that the scope of my praying should be expansive. Paul writes, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT). Nothing is too little or too big to bring to God in prayer. The boy in the raincoat with an umbrella knew this. So did Elijah. Do you and me?
