The Elijah Prayer

The Elijah Payer – Rain

Summary: Prayer can heal a nation

· Prayer is the answer

· prayer can end the “drought”

History: Showdown on Mt Carmel

· National drought (crisis), Elijah confronts his generation, Elijah rebuilds altar, God answers by fire, People cry out to God! false prophets are eliminated.

The Elijah Prayer = Perception, Conception, Reception

1 Kings 18:41 NLT

41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go get something to eat and drink, for I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!”

1 – The Elijah Prayer PERCEIVES

– vision - I hear rain

Grace Factor: God Gives Education for Preparation

Irony – Eat during a famine? Drink during a drought?

Endurance – why else would someone eat before a rainstorm? Must be a BIG one!

Preparation – get ready for revival flood! – it’s coming suddenly and strongly!

Prophetic – the church needs to eat God’s Word and Drink His Spirit like never before, because we will need supernatural strength to handle the cloudburst of souls coming into the Kingdom!

Life Lesson: Faith acts on its belief

Do you hear What I Hear?

The prophetic hears before it sees.

Hear = 6963 קֹול, קֹל, קֹל [qowl, qol /kole/] [1] = to call aloud

Loosely interpreted - “I hear a voice sending out the answer as loud as thunder!”

Do you hear what faith hears?

· Do you hear rain after 3 years of drought?

· Do you hear healing after years of sickness?

· Do you hear recovery after a season of recession?

· Do you hear breakthrough after years of struggle?

· Do you hear revival after years of decline?

1 Kings 18:42 NLT

42 So Ahab went to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees.

2 – The Elijah Prayer CONCEIVES

Miracles are birthed in Prayer

· prayer – intercession – birthing – “labor” – get God’s vision in YOU

· You must RECEIVE to CONCEIVE

· don’t be moved by those who have no “concept” of what you are doing for God!

1 Kings 18:43 NLT

43 Then he said to his servant, “Go and look out toward the sea.” The servant went and looked, then returned to Elijah and said, “I didn’t see anything.” Seven times Elijah told him to go and look.

The power of Prayer

· Drought – needed only one prayer

· Rain – needed 7 prayers

· Persistence – 7 times – UNTIL

· Rejection – Go and look – what do YOU see? – Don’t take no for an answer

o seeing a lack of results to prayer should be unacceptable for the believer

1 Kings 18:44 NLT

44 Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, “I saw a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand rising from the sea.” Then Elijah shouted, “Hurry to Ahab and tell him, ‘Climb into your chariot and go back home. If you don’t hurry, the rain will stop you!’ ”

3 – The Elijah Prayer RECEIVES

· Godly intercession can stop the evil path of government.

· Revival rain will stop the reignof evil – by changing the hearts of men.

Do You See What I See?

1 Kings 18:45 NLT

45 And soon the sky was black with clouds. A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel.

Suddenly! – Like Elijah’s fire and Pentecost’s fire

· Expectation – When you pray, Expect God to move, and suddenly!

· End times – we do not have 10 years to wait for revival! We need it NOW.

Prayer must be SELECTIVE to be EFFECTIVE

Custom solutions – God gives the answer you need for every situation!

· Elijah needed FIRE for the altar but RAIN for the land!

· The same God who answers by FIRE also answers by RAIN

· Faith confession – “I WILL see fire and I WILL see rain!”

1 Kings 18:46 NLT

46 Then the Lord gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel.

The Elijah Prayer TODAY = REVIVAL

· We can have results when we pray as strongly as Elijah!

James 5:16–18 NLT

16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

Call to Action: Pray until the outside matches the inside!

1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT

17 Never stop praying.

ESV = pray without ceasing

Galatians 6:9 NLT

9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV

7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.