A serious drought had plagued the land for years, but now the Lord was making a promise to Elijah. “I will let it rain.”

Do we still need to pray when we’ve already received a promise from the Lord about what He wants to do?

Well, Elijah did.

After some dramatic events had occurred that led the people in the land to repentance, Elijah sensed something prophetically. “There is a sound of a heavy rain,” he said, reminding him of the Lord’s promise from before. Instantly he knew, now is the time for his promise to be fulfilled. Now is the time to pray!

Elijah didn’t wait passively for the Lord to perform His promise, but to the contrary he went up to the mountaintop, knelt down and started praying earnestly into what he had heard the Spirit say. He didn’t get up, he didn’t get distracted, he didn’t become doubtful. Instead, he was persistent, full of faith and expectancy for the Lord to answer. Seven times he sent his servant to look out to the water, to look for a sign that his prayer had been answered. Six times the servant came back with bad news. Yet Elijah wasn’t moved by what was happening in the natural. He just remained in His position of pleading, His eyes fixed in faith on a greater reality, His eyes fixed on the one whom He knew to be faithful. Until suddenly, at the seventh time, his servant reported that he was seeing a cloud the size of a man’s hand. Such a small sign, yet enough for Elijah to know, it had been done! It was completed! The drought has ended! The answer is here! And Elijah started proclaiming the good news publicly!

So what can we learn from this powerful example of prophetic intercession?

  1. What we sense prophetically (the sound of a heavy rain) often lines up with the promises of God and is information for us to pray and intercede, to see these promises fulfilled.
  2. To pray we go up to the mountain, which means into the secret place, before the throne of God.
  3. We pray consistently, with perseverance and expectancy, watching out for signs that our prayer has been answered.
  4. We don’t give up no matter the news we are getting!
  5. We will know by a sign in the natural or an inner release that our prayer has been answered and the breakthrough is there.
  6. We then start declaring publicly what we know the Lord is about to do!

Prayer is the human tool of faith to bring promises of God into existence. What is the Lord prompting you to pray for at the moment? What are you watching out for, to see if your prayer has been answered?

Be encouraged today that the sound of a heavy rain will turn into a mighty down pouring by your persistent prayer in the secret place! He is faithful and He will do it!

By Jana Sundermann