Morning by Morning, August 26 - Both Prophecy and Prayer. Both Trust and Obedience. Both Prayers and Action.
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You here in my heart and every moment of my day. And with You in my heart, help me listen for what is on Your heart today. ...
"After many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year of the drought, saying, 'Go, present yourself to Ahab; I will send rain on the earth'" (1 Kings 18:1). ... "Elijah said to Ahab, 'Go up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of rushing rain.' So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; there he bowed himself down upon the earth and put his face between his knees. He said to his servant, 'Go up now, look toward the sea.' He went up and looked, and said, 'There is nothing.' Then he said, 'Go again seven times.' At the seventh time he said, 'Look, a little cloud no bigger than a person's hand is rising out of the sea.' Then he said, 'Go say to Ahab, 'Harness your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.' In a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind; there was a heavy rain" (1 Kings 18:41-45).
You gave Elijah a prophetic word that the three years of drought were over, that it was time to rain again on the land. And he delivered that prophetic word to the king. But Elijah did not passively wait on Your prophetic word to be fulfilled. He prophesied and he also prayed. He prayed and he also acted.
He didn't say in his heart, "Well, God has spoken his word, so let's wait and see what happens." He didn't say in his heart, "If God wants it done, God will do it." No, he understood that in the sovereignty of God is also the invitation of God to join with the will of God by the Spirit of God to prophesy and to pray and to act.
In Your sovereignty, You've chosen to move on this earth through Your people. There are things You will not do unless we do our part. Like when Your Word says, "If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14). Like when Your Word says, "The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's; but the earth He has given to the children of men" (Psalm 115:16). Like when Your Word says, "We are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making His appeal through us" (2 Corinthians 5:20).
So Elijah faithfully delivered the word of the Lord. And then he prayed for that word to come to pass. Then he acted in obedience to the leading of Your Spirit.
Elijah acted when he confronted the false gods of the land and the fire of God fell upon the altar he prepared (1 Kings 18:20-38). He acted when he confronted the false prophets of the land and put to death their idolatry, their blasphemy, and their rebellion against the one true God (1 Kings 18:40). He acted with courage instead of complacency, with determined action instead of spiritual passivity, when he both trusted and also obeyed. And he saw the hearts of the people turn back to God, so that You could pour out the rain of blessing upon their land again, as "they fell on their faces and said, 'The Lord indeed is God! The Lord indeed is God!'" (1 Kings 18:39)
Elijah knew it was time for the rain, because You said it was time for the rain. He proclaimed Your prophetic word, but he also prayed Your word to come to pass. When he told Ahab that You said, "I will send rain on the earth," there were things that still had to be done (1 Kings 18:1). When he told Ahab to "Go up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of rushing rain," there were still things that had to be prayed (1 Kings 18:41).
Before Elijah prayed, there was no sound of rushing rain. Before Elijah prayed, there was not even a cloud in the sky. Even though he has already prophesied the true word of the Lord, he still humbled himself to pray Your word to come to pass. And he didn't just pray once. It wasn't a "once and done" kind of prayer. He persisted in prayer. He persisted in fervent prayer (1 Kings 18:43). And then the clouds came. Then the sounds of the rushing rain came. Then the word of the Lord came to pass -- through prophecy, through prayer, through action! Through one who was willing to proclaim and to pray, to pray and to obey, to actively take his part in Your word coming to pass.
Father, we know it's Your will to heal our land. We know it's Your will to bring order and peace to our land, as we humble ourselves in prayer and repent of our sins and turn our hearts to You. You've spoken many prophetic words of harvest and revival to come, even when it's hard to see how it will come in the midst of all that's going on. But You've given us voices and votes. You've given us prophecies and the power of prayer. And You've given us the freedom to choose to be an active part in what You desire to in our world or sit back and see what our world will do to us.
But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15). As for me and my house, we will believe the prophetic word of the Lord, but we will also pray. We will pray, but we will also vote. By the power of Your grace, we will trust but we will also obey. We will not sit back in passivity but will speak up and step out in action. We will proclaim with authority and we will pray with humility, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10).
"The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest" (James 4:16-18).
Lord, let it rain! Lord, let the earth yield its harvest! As we seek Your heart and Your face, as we repent and pray, as we trust and obey, as we pray and proclaim, Your kingdom come! Your will be done! Here on earth, here in our hearts, here in our land, as it is in heaven. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My friend, may you be bold with your voice and your votes and humble in your prayer, to both believe the prophetic word of the Lord and also pray it to come to pass, to both trust and also obey in taking action as the Holy Spirit leads according to the values and principles of God's Word, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Healing Academy in Fredericksburg, Texas
Wow! What a powerful start to our Healing Academy at the Bride Church in Fredericksburg, Texas last night! Thank you for your prayers! Please keep us in prayer as Rocio and I travel to Fredericksburg, Texas each Tuesday night for the next several weeks teaching our Healing Academy. I'll be teaching from the principles of my book,
Free to Be Like Jesus!
-Transforming Power of Inner Healing & Deliverance
New Mailing Address for Messiah Ministries:
Tommy & Rocio Hays
Messiah Ministries
17503 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 104407
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Tommy & Rocio Hays | Messiah Ministries
Please share this word to encourage a friend!
