Monthly Archives: January 2023

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. – (James 5:17 NKJV)

Have you ever made a mistake and God just came on the scene and helped you anyway?  I know I have!

Was Elijah a perfect man?  Did he make any mistakes?  The Bible says he had a nature like ours and passions as we do, and when you read 1 Kings, you see he made some really stupid mistakes.  But God doesn’t just answer the prayers of the seemingly perfect.  He answers the prayers of the earnest.

When I would fight with my husband, Wally, I always tried to win.  One time we had a big argument and it lasted for a long time…about 12 years!  When I started in the ministry, with radio and then television, I didn’t take a salary.  All the money that came in, we would put back out into the ministry.  But Wally would say to me, “You know, you need to take a salary.” And I would say, “No, we have your salary!  I don’t need to take a salary.” Then he would say, “Marilyn, a workman is worthy of his hire.” And I would say, “You’re being selfish.  I just want to give it all away!”

One night after we’d been having this argument yet again, I turned it over to the Lord, convinced that He would back me up.  I told God, “He’s wrong!  I’m right.” But the Lord said to me, “You don’t have enough faith to have a salary and a ministry.  That’s what really going on here.”

As hard as it was to admit that I was wrong, I learned a valuable lesson:  God doesn’t take sides.  What does He do?  He takes over!

Lord, I declare that I am on Your side.  I want You to come on the scene and take over!

David pleaded with God for the child.  He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground.  – (2 Samuel 12:16)

After David committed adultery with Bathsheba, she conceived a child and David had her husband Uriah killed.  The prophet Nathan told David: “Because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you will die” (2 Samuel 12:14).

David responded by beseeching God for the child and by fasting.  The Bible tells us that he laid on the ground, refusing to get up or even eat for seven days (see 2 Samuel 12:16-18).  On the seventh day, the child died, and it was only then that David arose, washed himself, changed his clothes, and went to the house of the Lord to worship God.  After he had worshiped, he returned home and ate.

Many people do everything they know to do when someone they love is sick—some may even go so far as to lie face down on the ground and refuse to move, because they are so consumed by their desire to intercede for the healing of their loved one.

There are times and situations in which fasting is a manifestation of a person’s earnestness before God to the exclusion of all other activities.  Nearly always this earnestness is born of a desire to know more clearly God’s plan and purposes and, if possible, to make a difference through prayer.  This certainly was true in the life of King David.

Jesus, I declare that I have an earnest desire to know God’s plans and purposes.  I know by Your example and that of King David that through prayer and fasting I can more clearly discern the will of God.

The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” So, Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’” – (1 Kings 18:44)

After three years of no rain, Elijah hosts a contest to prove to the Israelites that the Lord is God and they should be worshiping Him instead of Baal.  God wins, of course, and the Israelites are so touched by His awesome power that they recommit themselves to God.  So, Elijah begins to pray, “Okay, God, we’ve repented.  Now You said You would open the heavens and bring rain.”  And Elijah says to his servant, “Go check for a cloud.”  The little servant checks six times with no luck, but Elijah doesn’t give up.  He sends the servant check six times with no luck, but Elijah doesn’t give up.  He sends the servant a seventh time and the servant return saying, “I see a cloud the size of a man’s hand.” That doesn’t sound like a rainstorm to me, but Elijah said, “That’s it!” Then Elijah begins to run to Jezreel before the rains prevent him from doing so.  And the Bible says “the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah” (see v. 46).

The two hands here are very interesting.  Whenever I see connections like this in the Bible, I think it means something.  First, we have a cloud the size of a man’s hand that was seen in the sky.  I believe that was Elijah’s hand on Heaven, which he left there when he prayed.  And then God’s hand came upon Elijah, enabling him to outrun Ahab and his chariots to get out of the rain.  What does all this mean?  This is how I see it:  When we leave our hand on Heaven; and when we leave our hand on Heaven, we get a hand from You.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the sacrifice Your Son made for us so that we can pray directly to You.  We see in Your Word that every time we pray, we leave our hand on Heaven; and when we leave our hand on Heaven, we get a hand from You.

Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. –(1 Kings 19:11-12 NKJV)

There are times when I know I haven’t listened to the Holy Spirit, either because I wasn’t really listening or because I just wanted to go my own way.

I remember when I graduated from university, and I got some crazy idea that I wanted to get my master’s degree in counseling.  Folks, I’m about as fitted for counseling as a frog!  But I thought this would be a good thing.

Well, the Lord kept dealing with me.  He was telling me being a counselor was not my thing, and that this was not where I would really succeed.  But I started the program anyway, because it was what I wanted.  It didn’t take long, however, before I thought, “This is not my things!”

Have you ever heard a still, small voice, but chose to ignore it?  Or it wasn’t strong enough and you weren’t listening enough to really get hold of it?  I think sometimes we have to intentionally try to listen, to be still, and to tune other things out—including our own wants and desires.

Don’t wait for an earthquake!  Listen for the Holy Spirit in the still, small voice.

Jesus, talk to me.  I’m listening.  And I declare that I truly want to follow You.  Help me be attentive to the still, small voice.