Scripture I am reflecting on: 1 Kings 18:43-44
". . . Seven times Elijah told him to go and look. Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, "I saw a little cloud about the size of a man's hand rising from the sea."
Can you think of any instances in your life where you have kept up hope for something after seven rejections, seven "no's", and still kept your faith and followed through to get the result you wanted?
Reflection:
I won't go into much background reflection on this passage, as I'm sure all of you reading this have a much better knowledge of this story than I do as I am just now reading it. I pulled this passage two reflect on the two points that stuck out in my head.
The obvious reflection is that we should be persistent in our prayers. I was drawn to this passage by testimony I heard today from a pastor speaking about two friends of his and their attempts at having a child. To state it briefly, this couple had tried for over 15 years to have a child. The pastor said despite this, they came to him every week and told him how excited they were going to be for him to meet their child when their time came. He, as any of us probably would didn't have much hope that this couples hopes, their prayers, would be answered. Long story short, they ended up not only finally beating out all of the doctors predictions not only to have a kid, but twins.
How many "no's" did this couple receive? Hundreds. Maybe thousands. Yet they kept hope. They kept praying. And it paid off. And why wouldn't they believe. Open the first pages of the Bible and we see God give Sarah her first child at 80 years old. But it is hard for us now a days to really take this story for how glorious it really is. We have such conclusive "science" that tells us this just isn't possible. "Maybe then, but not now". I admit when I read through that story the first time it was almost like I was reading fiction, or a fable. I read it more that the story was for the message, but not reality. But this is wrong. This did happen. And it could happen again at the snap of God's fingers.
We all have situations in our lives where our prayers are answered with a "no". Sometimes we get a "no" and consider our hope and prayer done. Sometimes we fight through two or three "no's". Sometimes maybe we even get to seven or eight like Elijah. How many "no's" are you willing to hear before waiting for a "yes".
The answer all of us should have is, "as many as it takes." Don't get stuck on a "no." I have a sports way of thinking about things. Ball or strike. The shot went in or it didn't. I made the putt or I missed the putt. In bounds or out of bounds. Completion or Incompletion. I won or I lost. So when I hear a "no", I'm usually done. "That's a loss, time to move on." But this is wrong, and the Bible clearly tells us this is wrong with this story and many others.
This segways into the second reflection I had on this verse, which is that not only to we need to remain persistent in our prayer, but to ACTIVELY look for the answer to our prayer. It makes it easier to get stuck on a "no" when we just pray and then kick the feet up and wait. But Elijah doesn't do this. Not only does he continue praying, but everyday he sends someone out to LOOK for the rain. We also need to be LOOKING for our answer. God will answer our prayers, but if we aren't actively looking for the answer, there's no guarantee we will see it. And we get stuck on a "no", whether its the first "no", the second "no", or the hundredth "no", then its almost certain we will miss the answer.
Prayers can be hard to see if we are not actively looking. Take this verse as evidence of this. What was the first answer to Elijah's prayer. A tiny raincloud. Had Elijah not been sending out a servant to LOOK for the answer to his prayer, who knows if this tiny cloud would have been seen. Be on the lookout for tiny clouds. If you are praying for a job, your answer may come in the form of a volunteer job that looks like nothing, but blossoms into something special. Sometimes our answer comes in the form of something so minor, so minute like a tiny cloud, that it's easy to overlook. I don't doubt that there have been thousands of small clouds I have missed in my lifetime. But I do have faith going forward now, that I know to look despite how many "no's" I get, that I will find those small clouds in my life. And just like this story, those tiny rainclouds will turn into the "terrific rainstorm" we needed.
Final Thought:
Don't get stuck on a "No". The next time you get a "no" in your life, try to go for just one more. Even if you know a "no" is coming, go get it. Go obtain it. Go interview for that job you know you're not going to get. Go to get a second opinion about your illness that you know will be the same as the first. You never know, when your next "no", will be the Yes you've been waiting for.
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