17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
Elijah, the prophet from the Old Testament whom the Lord used to perform many miracles, was just a man like us. That is really hard to grasp, isn’t it! Can you imagine the Lord using you to perform a miracle? You! That is how God does many miracles these days. He does them through people, just like you and me. Just like Elijah. Elijah lived in a time of extreme rebellion against God. The king was extremely wicked and hard hearted. Elijah lived in a time like ours, and he was a man like us. We live in wicked times, times when rebellion is running rampant in our leadership and among the people. Pride and self-reliance seem to be the standards of behavior and attitude. There are few who lead from a true servant’s position. They seem to all be in leadership for what they can get out of it. And we reward that type of leadership by placing them in leadership over us. Elijah somehow knew that the Lord was going to withhold rain for an extended period of time. Maybe he prayed for no rain because he knew it was the only way to get people’s attention. We really don’t know his reason for praying, but he did pray, and it stopped raining. What are you praying for lately? Are you praying that the Lord will do whatever it takes to get people’s attention so that they will turn to Him? Or are you praying that you will get some toy, or have relief from some minor annoyance? I want to challenge you to be so in touch with the Lord that you can pray for big things, impossible things, maybe even things that will make us uncomfortable. Maybe we need hard times, even harder times than right now, in order to get us to turn and cry out for help.
The Arnold Journey 