IT RAINED
I Kings 18:42
This great world of ours was never drier in all its history than at this time. Think of it! there had not been a cloud seen, nor a peal of thunder heard, nor a flash of lightning to illuminate the earth, for three long years and a half; not one drop of rain! not one drop of dew! The great floodgates had been locked, locked tight. Vegetation was literally burned up. Not a bright wildflower to be seen or found; not one green leaf to be seen. The fields were parched and desolate. The dust was thick and like fog in the air. Lowing of cattle, neighing of horses and mules, bleating of sheep. the awful cry of man and beast rent the air with lamentations. No doubt, frightful diseases broke out, for if we were to subtract the water, and have a continuous drought in this country for three years, oh, the awful diseases! the stench in the air would be something frightful. The Mississippi River is the life of the country through which it flows as the blood is the life of the body, A great drought, then diseases sweep the country.
Elijah could not afford to look at parched earth, burnt vegetation; he "placed his face between his knees." He covered up his lookers. He had the burden, He had the conscious fact that in answer to his earnest, wrestling prayer, God had locked up the skies, and now, through his earnest, protracted soul agony, God was to unlock the skies and send a gracious rain upon earth. So Elijah took himself to earnest prayer. The burden was upon his heart. The time had arrived. It must rain. This man must bring the rain by praying clear through. He is responsible if the rain does not fall, for God will send it if he prays clear through.
He said to his servant, "Go up on the hill and look off toward the sea and see if there isn't a cloud." The servant came back and said, "Master, there isn't a sign of a cloud. It is as hot as ever, and the fog of dust in the air fairly stifles one. It's awful, It is simply awful. I don't see how people can stand it much longer." Elijah said, "Go up on the mountain and look toward the sea and see if there's any cloud." The servant went. He looked and looked, but there was not the slightest sign of a cloud, He came back and said, "Master, it is perfectly clear. I never saw a clearer day in my life, and the sun has never shone hotter. It is blistering hot. My sandals are hurting my feet; my feet are almost blistered." But he said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." The servant went, and gazed and gazed at the skies toward the sea, but no cloud, not as much as mist. He came back and said, "Master, there is nothing, and I am getting tired -- I'm getting hot. I am so thirsty." Elijah said, "Go up now and look." He stood upon the mountain the fourth time and gazed away off toward the sea, but not one sign of a cloud. He came back and said, "Master, there is nothing, and I am awfully tired. We might just as well close this revival. It is useless and fruitless for me to wear out my strength and tire my body in climbing that hill when there is nothing doing. This is a parched district; people have hardened their heart. They have had too much Gospel. We might just as well hang our harps upon a willow. The crowd's not increasing. There isn't any interest manifested, so why wear ourselves out? Why climb the hill, climb the hill, climb the hill, when there is nothing doing?" But Elijah said, "Go up now, and look toward the sea." For the fifth time he stood upon that mountain -- gazing, gazing, gazing, in the far distance toward the sea, and not one single sign, yea, nothing that even had the semblance of a cloud, He came back and said, "Master, not one thing doing. I think it's time we were closing, I think it's time we were going elsewhere."
I Kings 18:42
This great world of ours was never drier in all its history than at this time. Think of it! there had not been a cloud seen, nor a peal of thunder heard, nor a flash of lightning to illuminate the earth, for three long years and a half; not one drop of rain! not one drop of dew! The great floodgates had been locked, locked tight. Vegetation was literally burned up. Not a bright wildflower to be seen or found; not one green leaf to be seen. The fields were parched and desolate. The dust was thick and like fog in the air. Lowing of cattle, neighing of horses and mules, bleating of sheep. the awful cry of man and beast rent the air with lamentations. No doubt, frightful diseases broke out, for if we were to subtract the water, and have a continuous drought in this country for three years, oh, the awful diseases! the stench in the air would be something frightful. The Mississippi River is the life of the country through which it flows as the blood is the life of the body, A great drought, then diseases sweep the country.
Elijah could not afford to look at parched earth, burnt vegetation; he "placed his face between his knees." He covered up his lookers. He had the burden, He had the conscious fact that in answer to his earnest, wrestling prayer, God had locked up the skies, and now, through his earnest, protracted soul agony, God was to unlock the skies and send a gracious rain upon earth. So Elijah took himself to earnest prayer. The burden was upon his heart. The time had arrived. It must rain. This man must bring the rain by praying clear through. He is responsible if the rain does not fall, for God will send it if he prays clear through.
He said to his servant, "Go up on the hill and look off toward the sea and see if there isn't a cloud." The servant came back and said, "Master, there isn't a sign of a cloud. It is as hot as ever, and the fog of dust in the air fairly stifles one. It's awful, It is simply awful. I don't see how people can stand it much longer." Elijah said, "Go up on the mountain and look toward the sea and see if there's any cloud." The servant went. He looked and looked, but there was not the slightest sign of a cloud, He came back and said, "Master, it is perfectly clear. I never saw a clearer day in my life, and the sun has never shone hotter. It is blistering hot. My sandals are hurting my feet; my feet are almost blistered." But he said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." The servant went, and gazed and gazed at the skies toward the sea, but no cloud, not as much as mist. He came back and said, "Master, there is nothing, and I am getting tired -- I'm getting hot. I am so thirsty." Elijah said, "Go up now and look." He stood upon the mountain the fourth time and gazed away off toward the sea, but not one sign of a cloud. He came back and said, "Master, there is nothing, and I am awfully tired. We might just as well close this revival. It is useless and fruitless for me to wear out my strength and tire my body in climbing that hill when there is nothing doing. This is a parched district; people have hardened their heart. They have had too much Gospel. We might just as well hang our harps upon a willow. The crowd's not increasing. There isn't any interest manifested, so why wear ourselves out? Why climb the hill, climb the hill, climb the hill, when there is nothing doing?" But Elijah said, "Go up now, and look toward the sea." For the fifth time he stood upon that mountain -- gazing, gazing, gazing, in the far distance toward the sea, and not one single sign, yea, nothing that even had the semblance of a cloud, He came back and said, "Master, not one thing doing. I think it's time we were closing, I think it's time we were going elsewhere."
Well do we remember New Haven, Mo. We had every day covenanted with the people to pray thirty or forty minutes for the revival, for deep, pungent conviction to fall upon the sinners. Nine long days had come and gone, and but little had been accomplished. One night we were impressed at the close of a sermon on Hell, to dismiss the audience and request all to leave the church without a word or a whisper, to leave in deep silence. We knelt at the altar, our head resting upon the chancel. One good old woman in Israel came by and whispered to us, "We are attending the funeral now, but the resurrection will come on the morrow."
She went home; went into her parlor; got on her face and cried out to God, "That preacher is preaching the truth. That preacher is having us to fast and pray. That preacher has had us for nine days to place our hands upon the Bible and covenant that we'd pray thirty or forty minutes each day for a miserable, pungent conviction to seize the sinners, the backsliders, and the ungodly. Lord, if you don't hear, if you will not answer. it will be awful. The devil will throw this in our faces; the sinners will say God doesn't answer prayer." She prayed; she cried all night. About 6:30 the next morning she got the assurance that a great revival was coming.
That afternoon, Saturday afternoon, we preached from the text for the first time and the last and only time, "And he set a little child in the midst of them." As that woman entered the church that afternoon, she came straight to the pulpit and said to us, "Shout! shout! The walls of Jericho are fallen." At the close of that message fifty or sixty rushed to the altar> and nearly twenty-seven got through good. Saturday night there were 127 at the altar, and a great number were blessedly saved. On Sunday morning the church was packed, and we preached seemingly as never before. What liberty! what unction! what power rested upon the preacher! At the close of the sermon there were about two hundred came to the altar, they fell in the aisles and between the pews. The Presiding Elder crawled across the platform on his knees, took us into his arms, and shouted, "We've never seen it like this before. This is simply wonderful, It is marvelous, Oh, look! look! listen! listen! How they're crying to God!"
Bowed at that altar was this good woman s drunken kinsman, a druggist. She was tremendously interested in him. She had prayed much for him. He got gloriously saved. I tell you God answered that good woman, for she covered up her lookers and would not look at the condition of the church, the hardness of the sinners and indifference of the backsliders, or the awful sins of the community, but she kept at it. She prayed all night, and victory did come, a great victory.
Elijah said, "Go up on the mountain and look toward the sea." The servant went up for the sixth time, and how he gazed! but not a cloud. He came back, saying, "Master, now this is the sixth time, and not one thing doing. Hadn't we better close? I am tired and sleepy. I am almost worn out. My feet are blistered. I never wanted a drink worse in all of my life, and, to tell you the truth, I
have looked, looked, looked, until I am discouraged. Let us quit now." Elijah said, "Go up now and look toward the sea." For the seventh time this servant, this faithful servant, stood upon that mountain, and as he gazed all at once he saw something white, yes, a cloud had come out on the skies. He came running back, shouting, screaming at the top of his voice -- how brush cracked under his feet! He came running to Elijah almost breathless, saying, "Shout! shout! there's a cloud." Elijah looked up quietly, and said, "My servant, I knew that. I knew the cloud was coming. I prayed clear through. I had the witness. the assurance. I was looking to God, not at the fog of dust; I was listening to God, not to the voice of man and beast; I was looking to God, not burnt vegetation; I was looking to God, not parched surroundings. I knew God, I knew He would hear and answer prayer."
If we were to wait quietly, patiently, our eyes on Jesus, our ears stopped up, yea, get into the closet, God would reward us openly. Our lookers get us into so much trouble. We are ever too ready to look and listen to surroundings. We are so human. O Lord, help us to look to Thee, and to listen only to Thee, and sweet peace, blessed soul rest, will crowd the heart, and laden the soul with that joy that's unspeakable and full of glory.
Elijah never heeded, he never listened to the voice of his servant. He knew that cloud was coming; he saw it by the eye of faith, far off. When God does not answer us at once, that is no reason why we should let up or let go. Keep at it. He will answer. Pray clear through. He has deep, abiding, constant soul rest for every one of His children. He delights to fill the heart, rest the soul, and make His service a luxury, yea, a delight. How sweet it is to be in His blessed service when one enjoys the real inwrought prayer life!
If we were to wait quietly, patiently, our eyes on Jesus, our ears stopped up, yea, get into the closet, God would reward us openly. Our lookers get us into so much trouble. We are ever too ready to look and listen to surroundings. We are so human. O Lord, help us to look to Thee, and to listen only to Thee, and sweet peace, blessed soul rest, will crowd the heart, and laden the soul with that joy that's unspeakable and full of glory.
Elijah never heeded, he never listened to the voice of his servant. He knew that cloud was coming; he saw it by the eye of faith, far off. When God does not answer us at once, that is no reason why we should let up or let go. Keep at it. He will answer. Pray clear through. He has deep, abiding, constant soul rest for every one of His children. He delights to fill the heart, rest the soul, and make His service a luxury, yea, a delight. How sweet it is to be in His blessed service when one enjoys the real inwrought prayer life!
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