Rejoice in Abundance

Let It Rain!

“Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain” (1 Kings 18:41 NKJ).

In a dry land, the promise of abundant precipitation is welcomed as an unexpected blessing. Showers are few and far between, and seldom is the rain measured in excess, or disparaged as a curse. Similarly, it was so in the Scripture. Drought was often seen as judgment, but the rains were identified as blessings.

The prophet Elijah once commanded the rains to stop until he gave the word for their continuation. It was pronounced as a judgment on the House of Ahab, king of Israel. They were given over to idolatry and pagan worship and Elijah declared the word of the Lord against their sin. 

After three and a half years of drought the famine had become severe in the land. Many suffered and people died because of the lack of food and crops resulting from the lack of rain. After a divine confrontation on Mt. Carmel, Elijah demonstrated the power of the true God against the vain incantations and antics by the powerless priests with no help from their false gods.
Elijah executed judgment against the false prophets of Baal and declared an end to the period of drought. He instructed Ahab to eat and drink and said, “there is the sound of abundance of rain.”

However, Elijah did not just speak the command, he then turned to God and began to ask for a sign that his prophecy would come to pass. Seven times, he had his servant go out and look for a rain cloud. Only on the seventh time did the servant return to report a small cloud, the size of a man’s hand coming over the horizon. That was enough sign for Elijah to declare that the rain was coming and it was time to head for shelter. 

We have had numerous promises for revival rain in our days. We are assured of an abundance of increase and the outpouring of the Spirit in our generation. Joel said, “It shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh” (Joel 2:28 NKJ). Let us continually pray for the rain of the Spirit until we see the sign of fulfillment, then we will rejoice in the abundance of His Spirit outpouring! 


Theme passage:
“Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem! Rejoice in the Lord your God! For the rain he sends demonstrates his faithfulness. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring. (Joel 2:23 NLT)