And verse forty-one. And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of abundance of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to top of Carmel, and he cast himself down upon the earth and put his face between his knees. 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. And it came to pass at the seventh time that he said, Behold there arises 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 stopped thee not. And it came to pass, and meanwhile at the heaven it was black with clouds and wind. There was a great rain, and Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. This morning we were speaking on some of the remarkable statements of Elijah in the portion of the chapter we didn't read tonight, the former verses. Some of these striking statements, I think, that are seven in all. And the first one was when he said, How long folk thee between two opinions? How that seemed to startle the people of God. to think that they should be faced with such an alternative or charged with such an alternative. Here they thought they were the people of God, and yet they had turned from that. They were now followers of Baal, and Elijah comes to them and ashamed of the fact that they've got an alternative to date. No longer can you go on as you're going, half for God and half for Baal, undecided, indefinite, walking the fence, For those who do that live long enough to see the fence burn beneath their feet. So he says, no longer hot between two of these things. If the Lord be God, follow him, if they'll then follow him. Reminds you of what you have in Revelation chapter three, neither cold nor hot. God says, I wish you were one thing or the other. And because you're just lukewarm, I skew you out of my mouth. this kind of thing makes God sick. The next thing he said was a challenge. The God that answered by fire, let him be God. That's in verse twenty-four. That's his second statement. You know these Baal worshippers, Baal means the God of the Son or the Son God, they looked upon Jehovah as more or less the or deity of the Hebrews. The Hebrews did. And they looked upon the Hebrews God in the same way if they looked upon their own God. There. Little did they realize the great difference between the two. But Israel's God was the living God. And here was a challenge to prove he was the living God. The God that answered by fire let him be God. And here we find Lives are going right into the domain, into the area of Baalism. Because Baal claims to have control of the sun, the heat, and the energy of the sun, the sun God. All right, if that's true, if your God is what he claims to be, then demonstrate it. And so he says that God that answers by fire, let him be God. Yes, God had demonstrated time and time again that he was the God of fire. You remember the acacia bush that burned like a torch in the desert? And God spoke to Moses from out to the burning bush, removed thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standeth is holy ground. Yes, this is the God of fire. Time and time again in the Old Testament you see him thus demonstrated. his glory song from Mount Sinai. Here you see fire. Fire of God is a consuming pot. When you think of the murmuring multitudes, they murmured against God, and the fire burned among the people of God, and thousands were put to death. God revealing himself as a consuming pot. What about the fire that consumed the sacrifices? Here you find these sacrifices on the burnt offering in the Old Testament, and on other occasions, and here is the offering, and sets upon that altar. And yet a fire came from where? I can see the sacrifice, leaving nothing but ashes, where did the fire come from? It came from God. God answered by fire, and whenever the fire devoured a sacrifice, it was symbolic of God's acceptance of that sacrifice. And if they had stood and the fire didn't descend and consume the sacrifice in the Old Testament, they would know there's something wrong with them or there's something wrong with the sacrifice. But when everything was put in order and the sacrifice laid upon the altar, And the priest invoked the blessing of God. Then the fire came down and consumed the sacrifice. And it indicated God had accepted what was associated with that sacrifice. God revealed his acceptance for his rejection by answering by fire. So you see, God has proved himself in the past to be the God that answered by fire. Now, they, oh, couldn't they? and we have demonstrated in this instant as we noticed this morning we'll see a little later on how God on this occasion responded to Elijah's call and the fire came down and consumed the sacrifice then we noticed in verse twenty seven here you have Elijah's withering blighting sarcasm his savage humor when he saw these priests four hundred and fifty and they placed their bullet upon their altar. Now they're calling to their God. Oh, Baal hear us, and round and round they went, crying out, Baal hear us, Baal hear us, but nothing responded. No answer from Baal, no response. And Elijah, he begins to accuse them. Why your God is sleeping, your God is walking, or maybe he's eating. He's on a journey. Try aloud and try aloud, and here you find Elijah with his withering sarcasm to these priests. He couldn't conceal his delight at their defeat up to now. No response from their thoughts. This brought on further fanaticism as they began pulling out their lies and their lancets and cutting and carving their bodies and the blood run down. And as we said this morning, finally, exhausted they gave up. Their God had left them down. Their God had not responded those to prove that no God was listening. Bale was not a God. As the Bible says you have eyes, they have eyes they see not, ears but they hear not, hands but they handle not, feet but they walk not. That's exactly true of idolatry. And isn't it a sad thing that there are millions and millions of people in the world today and they're calling upon a God that doesn't exist? Just an imaginary deity in their minds. It's hard to believe that many women will fall down before an idol or Buddha of stone or try to appease these gods at making sacrifices. Great sacrifice such as casting their children to the God of the Zambi River or the Ganges River. Fitting that God will accept that and pass a favor on to them for that sacrifice. No soul such gods live as those gods. The only God who lives who exists is the God that we know, the living and the true God. The God that answers thy fire. And you'll notice also Elijah's invitation after this in verse forty. He asked God's people to come near. This turn has come. And now he has his altar ready. Everything's ready. And he bids the people to draw me. And I want you to see there's no bakery here. There's no hidden spark or flame. God is going to answer by fire. And then that beautiful prayer. that he prayed in verses thirty-six and thirty-seven, and I'll read it to you. He said it came to pass as the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and David, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things of thy word. Hear me, O Lord. Hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Wasn't that a lovely prayer? Five things he prays in that prayer. Thou art God. I am thy servant. I have done all things according to thy word. Thou art just over God. Thou hast turned their heart back again. God has dropped to do it all. And when he gets this recognition, when he gets this place in your heart and life and mine, there will be a response. Yes, thou art our God. I am thy servant. I am thy servant. Whatever I have done, Lord, is according to thy word as the secret of the whole thing, obedience. Thou art a Jehovah. Thou hast turned our heart That again. Only God can. But there are conditions involved. These are some of the statements that we were looking at this morning. Seven in order. And here's another one, the final one. He orders the execution. What does he say? He orders them to take these four hundred and fifty prophets of theirs. And he says, slay them. And they were slain, and yet the answer seems to be that when they took them captive and took them down the river, Tyson, Elijah was the one that did the execution. Yes, what a sad scene it was. See, though men first did bloody themselves, but now the final blow, and they're slain, they are the prophets of vain. There'd be a lot of howling today if such a thing happened. This and the day of liberalism, people were saying, well, those men were sincere. Those prophets, they've got a right to their religion. They've got a right to worship God the way they please. That's the way the public would talk today. And life is as put them to death. God is dealing in grace today, but he'll return to his antics or his tactics are of the Old Testament in a day to come and execute Paul and violate his strict and are opponents of his staff. I want you to notice something else here. He chose the appropriate time for this occasion. He chose the appropriate hour. It was when the sacrifice was being offered in the temple. You notice that in verse thirty-six? And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. Here we are in the northern kingdom, the ten tribes. And right at this time of the day when these other priests had shown that they didn't have a God they thought they had, and Elijah took these stones and he built his altar and he put the wood on and the ox on, and then he also had the trench dug and the filled with water. And as he approached unto his altar, it was at the time of the evening sacrifice. What a distance. down in the southern kingdom, the city of Jerusalem, and in the city of Jerusalem as a temple. And the priests at that time was approaching the altar in the temple to offer the evening sacrifice. While this was going on in the north, up on Mount Carmel, that was what was going on down in the temple. At the time of the evening sacrifice, It simply shows us very clearly that everything we do, whether in prayer or service, is associated with the sacrifice upon the altar. God will accept everything that's associated with Jesus Christ. My prayers will not avail nothing unless they're associated with the work of Christ. My service amounts to nothing unless they're my service is colored by the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was the right hour when he made this prayer. And something more, as I mentioned, he called the people near unto himself. They had been of part off. He bit his own eyes. The next thing, he repaired the altar. There had been an altar there, but it had been destroyed. And he picks up the twelve stones and he assembles them. In some of Israel's former days, happy times when they offered on that altar, but now they're broken down. I wondered if some of us can reflect on happier days than today. When the altar was in its place and every stone was in its place. But now it's broken down. Oh, the family altars that are no more. This daily season or session in the presence of God reading His Word and spending time in prayer is that altar. My personal daily devotion, if the altar is still there, is everything in order. What has that broken down? And here we find Elijah, and he's reassembling, he's building the altar. And this is very important. And then again, you'll notice he observed the commandments. in so doing. You have in Exodus twenty and thirty-five, God said there was to be no steps going up to that altar. Whenever they built an altar, it had to be built right on the ground. God says no steps. How did that work for him? Man is not to exalt himself before the law. He's not to expose himself by ascending those steps. and is not to lift up a tool upon any stone to carve it. He's got to put the stone just as he find it, as designated, and twelve stones. Nothing to do with man's hands. No workmanship of men. No man exalting himself but exposing himself before the altar of God. The altar then was accessible to all. A child could have approached that altar. It was on the level with the people. All this is so significant when related to Jesus Christ and his work upon the cross. And this is what Elijah did. He reassembled the altar. And after arranging it, he poured water on. He was trained to think of it. This afternoon I began thinking, but why would he do this? Dig that trench. and then four twelve barrels of water upon until everything was saturated and soaked. It seems as though he has such faith in God that God will answer his prayer that he's putting difficulties in God's way. Make it more difficult for that sacrifice to burn by soaking everything with water. Have we got that faith in prayer, that faith in God? And is our praying of such a caliber that we can allow difficulties to come? Put them on, Lord. Put the difficulties. My faith can leap over those difficulties. I've got faith in you. You can surmount any difficulty. That's what it sees. Making it difficult for fire to consume that sacrifice in spite of it all that fire descended and the sacrifice was consumed. Then you have his prayer. This is what I want to get to you. The rain fell. Don't stop to think of what the land was like when Israel first went into it in contrast to what it was when this took place on Mount Carmel. I'll read you a text over in Deuteronomy eight. Verses seven and nine. For the land thy God bringeth thee into Israel. The Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water of fountains and depths that spring out to the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley and vines and pig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive and olive and honey, a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack anything in it. A land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig grass. When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. Here is abundance. This is the land that God brought them into. After their sin, after they're getting away from God and worshipping pain, what was the land like? at the end of three and a half years of drought. Listen to this. The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption, and with the fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew, and they shall pursue thee until thou perish, and thy heaven that is over thee shall be brass, no rain coming down, On the earth that is under thee shall be iron, nothing coming up. The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust all of thee, and see as a dust storm. From heaven shall I come down upon thee until I be destroyed. In the one case you have obedience, and the other case you have disobedience. The consequence of obedience is a wonderful land, a land flowing with milk and honey. But after disobedience and departure from God and practicing idolatry, here's the land. Blighted and blistered by the sun, no cloud having been seen in the sky for three and a half years, the land passed. My what a picture. It must have been a bleak picture. Ahab was a witness to what had happened, and he saw the burst of public indignation He couldn't do a thing. The people cried out, The Lord is God. The Lord is God. And the people of Israel were so infuriated, these men, these priests who had to see them, educated and trained by Jezebel. They were willing to participate in the slaughter of these priests. The Lord is God. If there's anything that makes a president or a king to tremble, it is a revolt of the public. public opinion is very strong. Ahab Saul was taking place. He didn't lift his finger. He saw the public indignation. He looked at the destruction of the priest and they said, the Lord is God. We're going back to the living God. I wonder how that affected Ahab for he once knew something about that God. He is a Jew who brought up under Jewish law. But he departed from the living God, and he embraced Baalism. And he had to witness all this. Now you notice what Elijah says. Elijah turned him in verse forty-one. Get thee up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of abundance of rain. What does that mean? Get thee up, they have, and feast, eat and drink. That's always speaking of feasting or a sumptuous affair in the Bible. Could it be that back in Jezreel, Jezebel, was waiting for her husband, thinking he was going to come back, having won this confrontation on Mount Carmel, and they had a sumptuous feast all prepared to weapon the victor back. Did Elijah know this? And say, get up, Ahab eat and drink. But he didn't eat and drink, as we shall see a little later on. But here's Elijah telling him to get up, eat and drink. Here's the sound of an abundance of rain. What did Elijah do? Aihab went to eat and drink. Elijah went up, it says in verse twenty-two, he went up to the top of Carmel. I wonder what he went up to. He went up there to pray. This seems a strange thing. He went up there to pray as far as James tells. James gives us this story. You don't find it here, but you all find it over in James. He went up. And he fell upon his face. I was talking to Mr. Williamson, who was here on Thursday night, as you saw some of you, the postures, all the idolaters and some of the pictures. And I asked her, I said, could you explain to me the posture of Elijah on this occasion? It said he fell upon the ground, and he put his face between his knees. And I said, how did he do that? I said, do you think he was sitting back more or less on his heels and there putting his head forward between his knees? She says, yes, that's the way they do it in India. And that's what he did. And he went up one non-karmal to pray. The Bible says, but why should you do this? He had the promise of God that God was with a son in verse one of chapter eighteen. What did God say to him in verse one? And it came to pass after many days. The word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, show thy self unto Ahab. I will send rain upon the earth. Elijah could say, Well, God's going to send rain upon the earth. Why should I have to go and pray? That's not necessary. God's going to keep his promise. Now, this is something I've been enjoying the last day or two, and I hope you get it. Do we have to do anything once God has promised something? Yes. Elijah could have said, all I got to do now is wait and watch the proceeding. Wait until the tithe of the rain, tithe to come and the rain to come down. No. He told Ahab to get up and eat and drink. Elijah went up on Mount Carmel and he fell down. put his face between his knees it doesn't say he prayed but James tells us he prayed but God said he was going to send the rain why do you have to pray listen what you read over in Ezekiel thirty six thirty seven thus saith the Lord God I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them I will increase them with men like a flock I will be inquired of And this is a principle in the word of God, and I hope we take it in. In other words, the promise of an abundant harvest smiles upon the farmer. That's not the end of it. In the sun and in the soil and the rain that come, there are signs and the smiles and abundant harvest. But the farmer doesn't sit still and say, Well, I can't draw any grain without the sun, without grain, without soul. I just wait till it comes. The old man, if he's going to reap what harvest, has got to cooperate. He's got to flower the soil. He's got to cultivate. He's got to sow his seed. And when the seed has grown, keep it weeded and then to harvest it. The sun will do its part. The rain will do its part, and there's the soil in many places. The soil is sufficient without fertilizing. Yes, friends, we've got to do our part. God sends the sunshine. He sends the rain. He gives us the soil that we've got to till the ground. And the Bible says with the sweat of your ground, you do it. You do the plowing, and you do the sowing, and you do the reaping. And that principle abides in prayer. God gives us his promises. But we've got to do some prayer to see those promises in fact. God says, I will be inspired up, saith the Lord. I wonder if we've grasped this or are we sitting back on our haunts and saying, well, the Lord's going to bless. He's going to bless. I don't have any responsibility. I'll just sit around and wait and see what happens. Well, you will see it. You've got a responsibility in God's program. If there's going to be a harvest, the Christians have got some part in it. And it's a big part. Here is Elijah, having been told from God, he was going to send rain upon the earth. And he said a few of us before, there's a song of abundance of rain. And then he goes and he starts his prayer. And what a prayer to be. The Lord Jesus Christ not only practiced prayer, he proclaimed prayer. And the most godly men in the church's history have been men who were noble in prayer, in whose something of praying. The Lord Jesus has asked and shall receive. Seek and ye shall fight. Not in it shall be opened unto you. Simply teaching this, if you don't ask, you'll not receive. If you don't seek, you'll not find. And if you don't knock, no door will be open unto you. Here is God's promise, but there is power, responsibility. Claire is no dreamy reverie or sweet sentimentality, though Claire is something, friend, that's very practical. It's a living, vital force in the Christian's life. We only know more of the promises of God You'd be kept from asking for those things that are not suitable for. Sometimes we ask God for things that God wouldn't begin to answer. It would be to our destruction. If we're perusing the word, reading the promises of God, spending time in his word and spending time in prayer, depending on the spiritual edict, we would never ask for things that would be detrimental to ourselves as Christians. We find ourselves in the current of God's will and thoughts and praying accordingly. These are some of the things we read in God's word concerning prayer. Now notice this passage over in James. James five and sixteen. This is the crux of this message. Confess your thoughts one to another and pray one for another that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prays earnestly that it might not rain. We didn't read a bit about that in the Old Testament. But nothing said in the Old Testament that Elijah prayed for it not to rain. All of a sudden we see, as chapter seventeen opened, Elijah pews before Ahab and tells him that the rain is going to stop. There will be no more rain from heaven than it will. unless I say so according to my word. But James lets us in on the sick. We wouldn't know what praying Elijah did if it were not for James. Here is James telling us Elijah prayed and the rain was stayed from coming down from heaven. And notice what he says further. He prayed earnestly that it might not rain and it rained not on the earth for the space of three years and six months. And here's where our text tonight comes in. He goes up on the top of the mountain. He puts his head beneath his knees. And he begins to pray for what? He's going to pray for rain. Well, why do so? God said he was going to send it. It says, and he prayed again. And the heavens gave rain. And the earth brought forth this week. Here is the importance. of prayer, the promises of God and the prayers of the sick. Definite prayer. Pray. He really prayed. He was deafened about it. What was he praying about? Brain, one thing. He was deafened. And I'll tell you that real praying is no mimic battle. It's not a lot of silent with just powder going off, a sham battle, but no bullets. Sometimes there can be a lot of noise. but nothing gone. No one being hit. God's not being reached. No target is hit. Just a sham battle. Because there's not the energy of the Holy Spirit behind our petitions. It was a definite prayer. Earnest prayer. It says Elijah prayed earnestly, fervently. Way off. That's what fervently means. That's what Jacob did. He wrestled with the age. What did David do? He said, My heart panteth as the heart panteth after the water-book, so panteth my soul after the old God. Here's David in prayer. And like the blind man over in Luke, he came to the blind Bartholomew. He was sitting beside the Jericho wall, and he heard many trampling feet. He cried out, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And the disciples and others said, Why don't you keep crying? Why don't you shut up? And he cried not much the more. Jesus, now son of David, have mercy on me. He wanted his eyes on me. He meant business. There was sincerity there. There was earnestness there. And that's true with us today if we expect any answer. Earnestness. It is impossible to pray too earnestly if you're praying for the glory of God. If we prayed for the glory of God like we pray for ourselves, we'd see something done. You listen to that young lady and she's praying with all her heart that certain young man will show some attention in her, and she'll pray. And nothing else will be in our mind. For that young man praying for Miss Wright to come along, I'll tell you, his mind's on one thing. He's given it all, he's got, he's really praying, he's a Christian, he wants God's will. And he doesn't mind to let God know quite often what he wants. He's definite. He's earnest. He wants his prayer to hit the target. I wonder if we pray that way about the glory of God. Lord, I'm more concerned about you being glorified than me getting what I want. I want God to be glory. This is where we reach the zenith of prayer like praying for God's glory. There is humble prayer. Why to think how humble lies he was. A man of like passion. He stood like a mighty yoke before Ahab. But he was as humble as a bullwash before the Lord. There he is with his tread between his knees. I'll tell you a man can stand tall in the presence of sin. But I'll tell you he'll be low in the presence of God. the presence of God that puts us in our right place and shrivels us up to our proper size. Yes, this is Elijah. What a man of prayer was. And then his expectant thing. He expected that rain to come surely. Paul had fallen. He expected it. Yet he prayed. The Lord Jesus said, whatsoever thing ye have need of when ye pray, believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them. Prayer thrives on exercise. It grows strong when you're feeding on the word of God. And then how confident Elijah was in his prayer. He sent a lad. Seems strange to him. There he is. And it must be quite a little distance over to the edge of the rock. Mount Carmel so the boy could look out over the Mediterranean. And while Elijah bowed there before the Lord, he sent a lad. Go and see him. You can see something. The little fellow ran. When he came back, he said, there's nothing. Nothing. He said, Elijah, get the skirt. Go again. While the lad went, he was praying. The lad came back. Second time, there's nothing. Go again. The lad went again. On the seventh time he came back. Elijah still praying. Elijah still didn't hold a block. I'd have loved to have a tape recording of his grave. The lad came back and said, this is a cloud the size of man's hand. It was scuffling across the sky. And anyone knows about that part of the world. When you see a little white cloud scuffling across the sky, driven with the wind, you know something's coming. A big storm almost to hurt him. You'll notice what it says in those last verses. Verse forty-five. And it came to pass that the seventh time that he said, Behold, there arrived a little cloud out to the sea like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, Sarah, Ahab, prepare my child, and get me down, that the rain stopped me not. It came to pass in the meanwhile that the heaven was black with clouds and wind. And there was a great rain. Ahab rode and went to the treasury. Yes, one little cloud. In this chapter and the one before, we noticed about the little oil in the cruise. And then a little cape. And here we find a little cloud. Sign of a man's hand. The forerunner of a blessing. When I heard the man say, there's a little cloud, the size of a man's hand. And I said, this is it. He prayed seven times. Oh, how intensely he prayed. How consistently he prayed. He just kept laying hold of God. Persevering, persevering, persevering. Finally. You see, the clouds coming and the sky was darkened and it came up in a hurry for he sent word miraculously to Ahab. Told a young man, was this boy the widow's son we were talking about? You do not know, but he sent the lad to Ahab, to give him his charioteer moves as quickly as he can. Why? That song that's coming up, the veil of Qaison between here and the capital in Jezreel, will be almost like a lake, that you'll not be able to get through, and the rivers will be swollen, and the mud will be sucked, that you won't be able to get home. Ahab, tell him to get down and get going quick. This storm was coming up in such a hurry. Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could see a cloud this size, oh man's hand, after consistent waiting upon God patiently, collectively, unanimously, praying for the blessing of God. Oh, it's so easy to think there should be sorrowful, let it. What am I contributing to that? Sit back and just enjoy it all when it comes, or can you say I help? I help. I had. But the rains came. Only God knows what a blessing after a three and a half years out. The rains came. For this, no lakes, no river, no spring, nothing but dust and dust and dust. Carcasses of animals and human beings all over the plates of birds are now the sweeping rain. The sky was black with clouds. And here is Ahab in his chariot, and he's driving fast. He wants to get to Jezreel fifteen miles away. He's got a long way to go. And the driving rain has caught. And the amazing thing I thought about this afternoon, as I read, was the last verse I wanted to read. And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he girded up his horns and ran before Ahab. to the entrance of Jezebel, I thought, well, Elijah was no young man, no old man, rather. He was a young man. Why? You show me an old man can run fifteen miles and run ahead of the chariot. These horses in that chariot, they were gone. And Elijah wrapped his palm around and took off, he got in the head of those horses, and he went, oh, fifteen miles to Jezebel. He must have been a young fellow and in good condition. But you know, the whole secret is this. The hand of the Lord was upon him. This wasn't natural for a man to run fifteen miles with a driving rainstorm and outrun the horses. The hand of the Lord was upon him. I believe the Lord must have given him some wings instead of feet. But anyway, he kept ahead of air. This is amazing. He wanted Aham to realize, although he had a zeal for the law, to see bales and defeat and destroy, he still respected the man who was king. He ran ahead of him as his courier. Yes, we should have respect for those in authority. But here we find endurance, physical endurance, in this case of Ahab running before the chariot all the way to Jezreel. I had this stop this afternoon and I was thinking about the beginning of the next chapter about he left Jezreel, Frickner, and he got caught going there. Because Jezreel says he's going to kill him. Yes, he all right, he got in reverse. He ran pretty fast when he was going to Jezreel, but when he heard that Jezreel was going to kill him, he went fast the other way. We'll speak about that next week. But I wonder if we know these lessons, practice these lessons in prayer. It all depends on what we put into, what we get out. It's nice to see God work, but it's nice to be able to say I had a hand in it. I did what it could. I gave it all I had. Therefore I can rejoice with a clear conscience. I'd hate to see a time of blessing come. And being some people's shoes, I have an awful guilty conscience. Because of the little I put into. The little exercise I have to pray, to witness, to work. Sometimes God is going to bless. I believe that with all my heart. It's up to you what part you will have in it. There shall be showers of death. The rain is coming. God has promised it. I want to be part of it. I want to contribute to it. I want those showers to fall first on my heart. That I want those showers to fall on all around me. And I trust that you will be in the same mind and move as Elijah when he trades earnlessly that the rain might come and it came. And God is giving Elijah the credit for him over here in jail. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain. If you read James' account, you think Elijah was responsible for the whole day. Elijah was responsible for the drought. He was responsible for the showers, the rain that came, and the blessed people, and the land blessed. Elijah did it all, according to James. If you read with some of the Old Testament, God did it all. That's the old saying, I think, Moody said, to work. as if all depended on God would work too as if all depended on me. It's a team business. We're workers together with God, and I trust we'll enter into it. If you're not a Christian, I trust you'll come to Christ and come tonight. Shall we pray? Our Father in heaven, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, come into thy presence. We ask thy blessing upon thy word, Shir our hearts, we pray, that they will become exercised. As we see the dry ground, the barrenness all around, the thirsty hearts everywhere. O God, at times, the heaven seems like grass. As we pray that we'll see a sign of a coming blessing, a coming rainstorm, and thou will shower thy people with thy mercies, with thy blessings. Oh, Father, we ask this as we commend this day and thy word and ourselves to thee. And the Lord Jesus, precious name. Amen.