The King's Church in Ilford
The following is the text of the talk given on 27th September 2009 by Georges Kisombola
"The sound of Abundance of Rain"
The sound of Abundance of Rain
Reading: 1 Kings 18:1-2; 41-46
After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: "Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land." So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria
41 And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain." So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. Go and look toward the sea," he told his servant. And he went up and looked. "There is nothing there," he said. Seven times Elijah said, "Go back."
The seventh time the servant reported, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea." So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.' Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
Elijah had a vision after 3 ½ years of drought.
Elijah's vision called for an abundance of rain.
That vision was given directly by God.
Now, the interesting thing is that immediately after God spoke to Elijah, the Bible states that there was great famine in the land. What a paradox! God steps into famine and promises flood! God has a way of stepping into the bleakest situation and promising victory!
In fact, it's in those times that God chooses to work the most often, because when God brings flood out of drought, or feast out of famine, everyone around knows it was God!
It was to Gideon that God said in Judges 7:2 The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her.
It was Jairus' daughter that Jesus allowed to die, so he could raise her from the dead.
God delights in working where man can't work!
God delights in bringing answers to situations that stump men!
God delights in doing what man says can't be done!
He said, My glory I won't share with another!
God specializes in doing the impossible!
Matthew 19:26
26 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
I) INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, MANY TIMES THAT GOD SPEAKS INCREASE AND MULTIPLICATION TO US, THE TIME THAT WE ARE IN IS ONE OF LOSS AND BARRENNESS.
This is where faith comes in.
This is where the promise of God will be tested the most in our lives.
1) God spoke to Abram and gave him a great promise between Bethel and Ai, and then immediately there was a famine.
2) Joseph was given a dream by God, and then immediately Joseph was thrown into a pit, and sold into slavery.
3) David was anointed King of Israel, but then sent back to the pastures to tend his sheep.
4) The widow woman was promised increase by Elijah when she was preparing to die!
5) God promised that he would bring a living, breathing army back to life while Ezekiel was staring at their dry bones scattered across the valley floor!
6) Jesus was baptized to fulfill every bit of the law, and then immediately led into the wilderness.
God's promise is always followed by God's proving ground.
It's easy to trust God in time of surplus, but can you trust him in time of barrenness?
It's easy to trust God in time of feast, but can you trust him in time of famine?
It's easy to trust God when the economy is good, and overtime is plentiful, but can you trust him when you're laid off?
It's easy to trust God for great revival when the music's playing and the church is full, and hopping, but can I still trust him when people are leaving?
The greatest test of our faith comes when God says I will, and we look around but He hasn't!
But, just because He hasn't yet doesn't mean He's not going to!
But, in every case, no matter how long it took, God's promise always came to pass! 2 Peter 3:9
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance
Psalm 126:5-6
5 Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him
Sometimes when we can't see it, we think it never will happen. We think that God has forgotten His word, and His promise. But, that's where faith comes in.
God's promise always requires a step of faith!
Faith is not sight, faith is acting on something you cannot see!
In fact, the very definition of faith is found in
Faith is simply disregarding my current situation and believing God for what He promised me, no matter how wild it might seem!
Faith is simply not giving up on the promise of God, even if it takes 3 ½ years to fulfil!
Or in Joseph's case 13 years. Or in Abraham's case, 25 years.
Faith is simply realizing that I may not see it, I may not feel it, I can't touch it yet, but God said it, and I believe it!
And, not only do I believe, but I'll act on it even when others think I'm crazy. Because God said it, I'll do it!
I may be like Peter when Jesus told him to throw his nets out again, I may not believe anything will happen, but …………. "Nevertheless, at your WORD, Lord, I will!"
II) NOW, LET'S GET BACK TO ELIJAH.
Elijah's vision called for an abundance of rain. Not a sprinkle, not a heavy dew, not a quick shower. But, an abundance! But, immediately after the vision was given, the servant saw nothing.
Now, let me bring out three things about this story that I believe apply to King's Church, Ilford.
1) There had been a drought for 3½ years already.
The first obstacle that Jesus had to overcome to instill faith in his servant and everyone around him was the obstacle of history.
- "It has not rained in years, what makes you think it will rain now?
- This is the way it has always been, what makes you think things will change?
- We are accustomed to famine, don't try to make us think we can feast now!
- The way it has always been is the way it always will be!
- We have had plenty of people through the years tell us they thought it was going to rain, and nothing happened. Don't get our hopes up!
Whenever God desires to move in a group of people who have been used to things being a certain way, He has to overcome that mindset that things can never change!
Somehow we have to be able to believe that God can do more for us than He has ever done before! God can't do anything in the midst of people who won't believe!
And, often it's in the church that HE can't work! In the midst of the people He loves, the ones he desires to bless, many times He encounters the most resistance! It was in His own hometown that the Bible says: Matthew 13:58
And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith. Because the things HE did had never been done before, the people who had watched Him grow up said, "No, sorry, too much of a stretch to believe that this carpenter's son can heal the sick, raise the dead, open the blind eyes."
But, once the curse of history has been broken, then God can bring abundance! Genesis 25:1-2
Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. Abraham said, "Hey, I know I'm old, but I was old back then and God blessed me with a son, and if He did it then, He can do it again, and again, and again, and again, and again!"
Once the curse of history has been broken, then God can send abundance!
2) Even after the promise came from God, for the first six times that the servant went to look, there was absolutely nothing on the horizon.
This is when it's hard to believe. You've been in a drought, and a guy comes along, gives you a fresh hope, a new glimpse of glory. A preacher comes and preaches a message and builds your faith and says, "Things don't have to be like they have always been! Rain is on the way!" And you get up the next day, full of faith, full of expectation, eagerly rushing to the kitchen window to witness the deluge, and there you see again, just like every day for the last 3 1/2 years, cloudless skies, bright sunshine, hard baked ground, no crops, dust twisting along what you used to call a yard!
And, your faith plummets again, even lower this time, because you have had your hopes so high that maybe today will finally be the day that things change for good!
And, just as the Bible says that AFTER the promise there was a sore famine in the land, AFTER the promise that God makes you and I, there may be famine in our lives!
We had received God promise of growth for a long time now and there were times when I could feel something taking place and saying to myself:" This is never going to happen! Things are really going to change; it was just me getting my hopes up!"
I keep going back to church, scanning the horizon, waiting for the rains of revival, and I don't see them! But, today, and I can't explain why, but today, I think I see something!
It's not all that big, it's pretty small, about the size of a man's hand, but sure enough I see a cloud!
But, I'll tell you the next thing, I'm stepping out in faith again and where other's see smallness, I see abundance!
3) Third, when the cloud so small it was likened to a man's hand appeared, it excited Elijah so much he said, this is it! Abundance!
Others saw smallness, but Elijah looked at a small thing and saw abundance!
We have a hard time looking at tiny things and thinking abundance!
But small things quickly become big things when God is in them!
Zechariah 4:10
"Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel
- God promised Abraham seed as the sands of the sea, and the stars of the sky, but He started with one baby boy!
- Jesus fed 5000 people on a hillside one day, but He started with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread!
- God created this vast universe and all that is in it in 6 days, but He started on the first day simply creating night and day from nothing.
Things that look small through the eyes of the natural become huge when you look through the eyes of the spirit!
CONCLUSION
I wonder if anyone today in this place is starting to hear what I'm hearing?
IS there anyone who will go just one more time to the horizon and look for the promise?
I know you've been six times already, but this time's different - I HEAR THE SOUND OF ABUNDANCE OF RAIN!
