In First Kings, chapter 18, the Samaritans had been in a great famine. No rain, no crops, no food. The land of Israel has been in a three and one-half year drought. The nation is in a desperate condition.
The prophet Elijah showed up and said to King Ahab, “Go eat and drink, for I hear the sound of the abundance of rain!” (1 Kings 18:41) When he said that, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The rain-Elijah knew rain was coming. How does one hear what he does not see? By the ear of faith. The ear of faith hears and sees what the eye of flesh cannot hear or see. There was no sign of rain at all, yet Elijah chose to believe what he heard in his spirit in spite of what he saw. With his eyes he saw drought, famine and barrenness, but in his spirit man he heard the sound of the abundance of rain. He heard in his spirit the sound of what was coming-rain. Now it was time to pray through what he had heard.
1 Kings 18:42-44 Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he crouched down to the earth and put his face between his knees, and he said to his servant, “Go up, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” Elijah said, “Go back” seven times. And at the seventh time the servant said, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And Elijah said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the rain shower does not stop you.
Elijah was not moved by what was outside of himself. He was moved by what was inside of him-the Word of God.
I have heard in the deepest of my spirit church it is raining and we are to step into the overflow. Stop looking at what is around you and don’t allow that to move you. Be moved by the Word. The Word of the Lord stands forever.