Promises, Prophecy and Prayer

Promises, Prophecy and Prayer

1 Kings 18:1 & 41-44  “And it came to pass after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.”

(Then - after the Mount Carmel victory)

“Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees,  and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”  Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’”

This story is the perfect example of praying a promise or a prophecy into being. You see, although God had spoken the promise of rain to Elijah, still Elijah wrestled in prayer until it happened. The principle applied then and it still applies today. Whenever we receive a promise or a prophecy, and they can be the same thing, there is a requirement upon us to pray to the Lord until we receive that which was promised. Sometimes that can happen quickly, as with Elijah, and sometimes it all takes time as there is very rarely a time or date associated with God’s promises to us. I can cite at least one example of a prophetic promise having been made as long ago as 1948 that is still to see fulfillment.

Have you had prophecy or promises from God that are ‘outstanding’? I know I have. Like many other people, I have prophetic words in two separate areas of my life. I need to pray both of these prophecies, (promises), into being. One of them is something I have no trouble at all calling in. The other is one for which I have some personal doubts – even though God has spoken it through His prophets – plural. I have to pray for the faith to pray and bring that promise into being. Does this all make sense to you all?

It is not a ‘given’ for any prophecy to happen. Sometimes we simply do not receive it, maybe we even reject it. God is saying, in effect, “If you will believe my words and have faith in Me for this, then this is what I promise you will happen.” This is when, like Elijah, we have to pray God’s word into fruition. We cannot just sit back and wait, assuming it will happen automatically sometime in the future – be it near or far future.

The vast majority of prophecy comes with a caveat – “If you ..... then I will .....” One of our responses must be to receive the word and pray for it to happen.