Call & Response

Isaiah 62:^6-7 “I’ve posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem. Day and night they keep at it, praying, calling out, reminding God to remember. They are to give him no peace until he does what he said, until he makes Jerusalem famous as the City of Praise.” (MSG)

Our first lesson from Elijah regarding opening up heavens is the willingness to do what is required, irrespective of the excuses not to. Our second lesson is Elijah’s power came from God in response to Elijah’s prayer. Yes, you need to pray earnestly and do what is required. Irrespective of the excuses, you need to pay the price. However, it is not your prayer alone, the power to open heavens comes from God in response to our prayer. In other words, it is God’s power that opened the heavens, not Elijah’s prayers. When you pray it will be God that will open your heavens, not your prayers. Some people say, ‘I pr-ay-ed’. Some people even intimidate others with their prayers, ‘if I pray for you, fire!’ It is not your prayer by itself.

We need to understand that it is in God, the power comes from God. Check out what happened before this, Elijah’s faceoff with the prophets of Baal. The prophets of Baal called on their own god all day to bring fire, but nothing happened. Elijah prayed a simple prayer and fire came from heaven. Was it Elijah’s prayer? The prophets of Baal also prayed, in fact, they did much more praying than Elijah did. Elijah’s power came from God, but it was in response to Elijah’s prayer. So, Elijah still had to pray. You cannot say it is God that will do it and you sit back and not pray. You cannot do God’s part for Him, and God will not do your part for you.

Our third lesson is everything that is visible and physical, is preceded by something that is invisible and spiritual. So, if you want to fix something in the visible physical, you have to first address it in the invisible spiritual. For some of us, it is the heavens of our health that need to open. For some of us, it is the heavens of our marriage that need to open. For some of us, it is the heavens of our finances that need to open. For some of us, it is the heavens of our intelligence and aptitude that need to open. For some of us, it is the heavens of favour that needs to open over you and the list can go on and on. But you need to understand that everything that is visible and physical is preceded by something that is invisible and spiritual.

Do you want to change something or do you want to see something in the visible physical? Then you have to establish it first in the invisible spiritual, that is how it works. 1 Kings 18:^43-44 “Then he said to his servant, “Go and look out toward the sea.” The servant went and looked, then returned to Elijah and said, “I didn’t see anything.” 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.” Elijah sent his servant to check the visible physical, but he was controlling the invisible spiritual with his prayer. One of my colleagues said, if Elijah needed to get to twenty-one times, he would have. He did not know that seven times would do it. The point is, you have to be willing to give it what it takes.

Prayer: Father, remember Your promise to me, rest not until it is done, in Jesus Name. Amen!