But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees.
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. 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!’” 1 Kings 18:42-44
Just before Elijah went to the top of Mount Carmel to pray, he prayed one prayer and immediately fire rained down from heaven totally demolishing this sacrifice, the wood, the alter, the dust and all the water that had been poured over it.
I think to myself….”WOW, to have answers to prayer like that.!”
What happened next? Elijah went to the top of Mount Carmel and prayed again. The Bible says he was bowing with his face between his knees. He prayed. Nothing happened. He prayed again. Nothing happened. This happened seven times. Seven times he prayed and God did not answer until the seventh time!
I wonder if Elijah became frustrated in those prayers. The Bible tells us in James 5:17 that he was a man just like us. Do you think that he was praying and complaining that God answered so clearly at the battle of the alters but now took his time? I might do that.
A couple of months ago, I was praying for something and I got the answer as I was standing there praying. I began to wonder why God didn’t always do that. Then a question popped into my mind. If God always answered us immediately, would we still seek him? Would we still try to be in a relationship with him? Or would we come to him only to get an answer?
I know his timing is perfect. I know he has reasons for not answering right away. And I do trust his plan….but honestly, if he had always answered everything exactly when I wanted, there would be no need to trust, would there?