Three things led up to the abundant rain which Israel enjoyed after three and a half years of drought. The first was the promise of God. God had earlier told Elijah to return to the land because He was going to send rain. The promise of God is the forerunner of all His activities. God will do nothing without first announcing it. The thing with such an announcement is that God will always stand by it. “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11 NKJV)
Here, we see the power of importunity at work. The promise, prayer, and persistence are like a three-fold cord. Those who operate by them will always be on the winning side.
The second thing was prayer. Elijah prayed before the fire fell. He prayed to make the rain fall. Of course, it was through prayer that he stopped the rain for three and a half years. The promise of God is both a premise for prayer as well as our authority when we pray. Nothing can help us press our case any better than what God already promised to do. Finally, we talk of persistence. The rain did not start falling immediately Elijah took to praying. He persistently told his servant to check seven times. Here, we see the power of importunity at work. The promise, prayer, and persistence are like a three-fold cord. Those who operate by them will always be on the winning side.
