Let The Rain Fall

Title: Let The Rain Fall

Text: 1 Kings 18:41-46, Jam 5:17-18

[1Ki 18:41] And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.

[1Ki 18:42] So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,

[1Ki 18:43] And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.

[1Ki 18:44] And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.

[1Ki 18:45] And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.

[1Ki 18:46] And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

[Jas 5:17] Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

[Jas 5:18] And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

Introduction

Prior to the story we just read, it had not rained for over 3 years.
There was drought in the land
Even though the lack of rain was pronounced by Elijah himself because of the evil in the land
- [2Ch 6:26] When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; yet if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them;
- Sin is the cause of the lack of rain
The good people in the land would also suffer
Rain brings water and water is symbolic of the Holy Spirit – John 7:37-39
- [Joh 7:37] In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
- [Joh 7:38] He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
- [Joh 7:39] (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yetgiven; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
The lack of rain was also symbolic of the lack of the availability of the Spirit of God
There was no word from the Lord during the drought
We want to learn some lessons from this story and apply the same to our lives, so we don’t ever enter into a spiritual drought season
I pray that the abundance of rain shall begin to fall in Jesus name

Main Topic

1. You may need a prophetic word to jumpstart your abundance of rain

So, I decree over your life that there is a sound of abundance of rain in the name of Jesus Christ
The second half of this year shall be greater than the former in the name of Jesus Christ
The latter rain that will fall shall be greater than the former in the name of Jesus Christ
The blessings that eluded you in the first 6 months of the year shall come on a platter of gold in the latter 6 months in the name of Jesus Christ
The favor you need in the last 6 months shall reach your hand in the name of Jesus Christ
The fruitfulness of the Lord shall be your testimony in this last 6 months in the name of Jesus Christ

2. Prophecy will not always automatically come to pass

Elijah issued the prophecy, Ahab went to eat and to drink
Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, he cast himself down, put his face between his knees and began to pray
Elijah did not join Ahab to eat and to drink
He knew the prophecy would require prayers to come to pass
So, just because you received a word of prophecy does not make the prophecy come to pass
You have to pray the prophecy into fruition if you agree with the prophecy
Your abundance of rain is tied to your prayers, so you must not keep quiet – Luke 18:1, Matt. 7:7-8, 1 Th. 5:17
[Luk 18:1] And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
[Mat 7:7] Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
[Mat 7:8] For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
[1Th 5:17] Pray without ceasing.

3. Pray until you get results

Elijah prayed seven dimensions of prayer
He did not stop praying until he saw there was result
Matt. 15:21-28 – A Canaanite woman came to Jesus because her daughter was possessed with an evil spirit
- Jesus refused to answer her
- The woman refused to go away
- She was not discouraged that Jesus did not answer her prayers immediately
- Her persistence made Jesus to answer – [Mat 15:28] Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
So, keep praying until you get your result
A closed mouth will result in a closed destiny

4. Watch as you pray and take a step of faith

Elijah asked his servant to go and check for any sign of rain
He didn’t just stay on top of Carmel and pray, he was checking for answer
When you pray, you must watch – watch for any sign of an answer
With the way Elijah prayed, one would expect to see dark clouds over the land
God released a cloud the size of a fist – Elijah knew that was the answer
He then made a statement of faith [1Ki 18:44] And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Preparethy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.
That was a step of faith that the rain is coming.

5. Your prayers shall be answered

There shall be abundance of rain
- Rain that brings life into dead situations
- Rain that brings revival into dead spiritual lives – Ez. 37
- Rain that causes restoration to happen – Joel 2:23-28
  - [Joe 2:23] Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
  - [Joe 2:24] And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil.
  - [Joe 2:25] And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
  - [Joe 2:26] And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.
  - [Joe 2:27] And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.
  - [Joe 2:28] And it shall come to pass afterward,that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
- Rain that brings blessings from the Lord
- Rain that causes you to be fruitful – Ps. 1:1-3, Jam 5:18
  - [Psa 1:1] Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
  - [Psa 1:2] But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
  - [Psa 1:3] And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
  - [Jas 5:18] And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
- Rain that brings increase into your life

6. The hand of the Lord shall be upon you

7. God will give you divine speed

Conclusion

In The House of Prayer, I hear the sound of the abundance of rain

Pray for the rain to begin to fall
Pray that the rain brings life
Pray that the rain brings revival
Pray that the rain brings restoration
Pray that the rain brings blessing
Pray that the rain brings fruitfulness
Pray that the rain brings increase

However, the rain is directly tied to your prayers

Your must pray the rain down

You shall see what the Lord will do in the last 6 months of the year

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31

Sermon

Let The Rain Fall