Elijah was a man just like us. He had the same kinds of feelings and struggles. He prayed very earnestly that it would not rain, and no rain fell on the earth for three and a half years. Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. (James 5:17–18)
There are some very important lessons for us in Elijah’s life. In our opening text for today, we see how, when he was on Mount Carmel and prayed for rain, his faith was tested. Still, he kept bringing his request to God again and again.
Elijah’s servant watched while Elijah prayed.
Six times he came back and said, “There is nothing—no cloud, no sign of rain.”
But Elijah did not give up. He did not become discouraged. Instead, he looked carefully at his own life to see if he had failed to honor God in any way. As he searched his heart, he felt smaller and smaller in his own eyes, and he saw that God was everything.
As Paul once said: “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” (1 Cor 2:4-5)
This is what Elijah wanted. He wanted to rely only on God, and not in his own human wisdom.
When Elijah came to the point where he gave up trusting in himself and trusted fully in God, the answer came. Yes, he had to repeat the same prayer six times, but finally his servant returned and said:
“Look, there is a small cloud rising from the sea, about the size of a man’s hand.” (1 Kings 18:34)
That small cloud would have been hard to see. That small cloud was just the size of your hand. That small cloud teaches us something important.
God’s answers may be significantly delayed. God’s answers may begin very small, almost unnoticeable. But Elijah trusted God even when there was no sign. Elijah trusted God even when the sign was so small that the average person would not see it. Elijah trusted God because he knew the power of the text that says “despise not the day of small beginnings.” (Zech 4:10)
Elijah was a man of God who experienced the enormous power of “no sign.” Elijah was a man who personally experienced the exponential power of only a tiny sign. A miniature token of indication that God was there. Elijah did not wait for a great storm to believe. Elijah believed even when he saw just a little cloud. In the same way, his experience is to be that of the Christian today who professes the name of Jesus. We can always trust God even when we see no sign! We should always trust God even when we see only a very small beginning of His answer.
We have a God who listens to our prayers. If we trust His word, He will honor our faith. He wants our lives to be closely connected with His will. Then He can safely bless us, because we will not take the credit for ourselves. Instead, we will give all the praise to Him. Now, God does not always answer right away. If He did, we might think we deserve His blessings. That we have some kind of merit. Or personal influence. We might stop examining our hearts and become careless. We might forget how much we depend on Him. We might presume the answer we want rather than what he wants.
This is why God alone is worthy to be glorified. When we understand who He is, we see that all honor belongs to Him. The Bible calls us to “fear God and give glory to Him,” because He is the Creator of all things. Rev 14:6–7 reminds us that everything we have comes from Him, not from ourselves. When we truly see this, we stop lifting ourselves up and instead give Him the praise He deserves.
Rev 14:6-7 gives God’s people everywhere, today the full assurance of the cross and this is why we cannot give any glory to ourselves for anything that God does in and through us. Our Creator God gives His people today the most powerful declaration where He says “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” (Isa 42:8,11)
Elijah humbled himself until he no longer wanted any glory for himself. This is the condition upon which God hears prayer. And when we are humble, we will give all the praise to Him for God alone is worthy to be glorified. (Rev 14:6-7)
“The Christian’s most powerful resource is communion with God through prayer. The results are often greater than we thought were possible. Some people see prayer as a last resort to be tried when all else fails. This approach is quite backwards. Prayer should come first. Because God’s power is infinitely greater than ours, it only makes sense to rely on it—especially because God encourages us to do so.” (Life Application Notes)
In 1 Kings 18:34, when the servant says, “there is nothing,” he is reporting exactly what human eyes can see—no cloud, no rain, no visible answer. Yet Elijah continues to pray because he is not depending on sight, but on God’s word and promise. When he continued to pray like this, the man of God showed us a key principle for the believers of today: what we see is often incomplete. The Bible makes this clear in 2 Cor 4:18
“while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
And in The Old Testament Creator declares how that His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways (Isa 55:11-12)
In other words, what appears to be “nothing” in our limited sight may actually be the beginning of God’s unseen work. The absence of visible evidence is never a sign of the absence of God’s activity.
This truth is also explained in 1 Samuel 16:7: “for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” God sees deeper and farther than we can. In a given situation, we may judge by circumstances or our ever-changing feelings and conclude that nothing is happening, but God may already be moving in ways we cannot detect.
Elijah understood this difference. While the servant saw an empty sky, Elijah trusted a faithful God. This teaches us that faith rests not on what we can measure or observe, but on who God is. When we face moments that seem empty or silent, we are invited to trust that God sees what we cannot, and that His purposes are already in motion even when we cannot yet see the result.
Magnifying the Lord
Let such as love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified. Psalms 40:16.
As witnesses for Christ, we are to tell what we know, what we ourselves have seen and heard and felt, If we have been following Jesus step by step, we shall have something right to the point to tell concerning the way in which He has led us. We can tell others how we have personally tested His promise, and found the promise true. We can bear witness to what we have known of the grace of Christ. This is the witness for which our Lord calls, and for want of which the world is perishing. (1 John 1:1-3, Rev 12:11)
The true Christian will make God first and last and best in everything. No ambitious motives, no discouragements, no short sightedness will ever chill their love for God. (the opposite of the rest of the world where the bible says “the love of many will wax cold.” Steadily, with perseverance, sometimes almost imperceptively, will a true Christian strive in the effort to always give honor that points to our Heavenly Creator. Our Father in Heaven. It is when we are faithful in exalting the name of God that our impulses are under divine supervision, and we are enabled to develop both spiritual and intellectual power.
In our meager human realms, feelings can be a small sign. Feelings can sometimes even be no sign! Most often our feelings are NO SIGN of anything, at least to us! But does “no sign” mean that God is not at work? Does “no sign” have to mean that God cannot be glorified? Does “no sign” mean that we have to fall apart?
Friends, let me tell you now about three very famous men.
Three men were walking on a wall. Feeling. Faith and Fact. (the FACT being God’s Word, the FACT being God’s promises!) And so here we have three men. Feeling, Faith, and Fact who were walking on a wall. When Feeling had an awful fall, and Faith was taken back. Fact remained and brought Faith back. And Faith brought Feeling too!
Friends, according to the everlasting gospel, there is hope among the tiniest fragments of our lives. If your heart has been broken by grief, by worry, by fear, by anxiety, or by anything else, just make art with all the pieces. Jesus will help you to do that! In our humanity, we are born of the anguish we bear, and we turn all that into the love we want to give. This is precisely why Jesus said
“Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” (John 6:12)
Those with whom the Christian comes into contact have a right to know what has been revealed to the follower of Christ. We are to make it known both by precept and example. The Christian is to publish the good news of salvation. They are never to grow weary of the recital of God’s goodness.
Jesus, our divine Master, Jesus our divine Savior, Jesus our divine Judge, Jesus our divine Lawyer (Advocate) Jesus our divine Creator always exalted the name of His Heavenly Father. Jesus our all in all always taught His disciples to pray
“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name” (Mat 6:9, A.R.V.).
Today, God’s people who were first called “Christians” in Antioch (Acts 11:26) are never to forget to acknowledge,
“Thine is . . . the glory” (Mat 6:13).
That is the testimony that will literally move the world!
“If Christians were to act in concert, moving forward as one, under the direction of one Power, for the accomplishment of one purpose, they would move the world.” {CCh 69.8}
“We talk much about the truth; but unless we live the truth, unless we ourselves are reaching its standard, and helping others to reach it, our work will not have the approval of Heaven.” {RH, June 19, 1913 par. 9}
“We do not realize how untiring are Satan’s efforts to sap our spirituality. He is working mightily that the people of God may be only half converted. Then self will swell to large proportions, and there will be no revelation to the world of the transforming power of God. If this power does not rest upon God’s people and move them to sanctified action, they cannot do the work in the earth that has been shown us must be done. Without this power, they will not realize their responsibility as his representatives in a world of unbelief.” {RH, June 19, 1913 par. 10}
“If Jesus were made the sum and substance of every discourse given, sinners would be converted. By the message borne they would know what they must do to be saved. Lift Him up, the Man of Calvary, higher and still higher. He who draws nigh to Christ need not try to shine. As he beholds the Savior, he catches the divine rays of light from the Sun of Righteousness, and he can not help shining. The light that is in him shines forth in clear, bright rays, in words and works of righteousness.
Christ’s grace dwells in him richly, and heaven’s light shines through him. He honors Christ by complete obedience. He is stimulated to more vigorous action in the cause of God as he imparts that which the Lord gives him. He is a light-bearer in the world, shedding light on those who are in darkness. He walks close by the side of Christ, conversing with Him and gathering divine principles from His Word. He goes about doing good, comforting the downcast, guiding wandering footsteps in the narrow way, sweetening the cup of bitterness which many drink as the result of their own course of action, watching over those who need the guidance of a firm, steady hand to lead them to the feet of the Master, helping all with whom he comes in contact to fight resolutely the battles of the Lord.” {ST, July 4, 1900 par. 13}
Let God Manage You
“And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us. Psalm 90:17.” {TMK 218.1}
“God wants you to let Him manage you, that you may be a loving and lovable Christian. (John 1:12) The Lord would have the natural and hereditary traits of character come under the pruning knife of His Word. Look steadfastly unto Jesus, that you may catch His spirit and cherish the qualities of Christlike character.
“Then it will be recognized by all who have any connection with you, that you have learned of Christ His meekness, His affection, His tenderness, His sympathy. Never rest satisfied until you possess a loving and lovable spirit. Your words may come from the good treasure of the heart to strengthen, help, bless, and win all around you…. Others catch your spirit. The seeds we sow will bear a harvest in goodness, patience, kindness, and love, or exactly the opposite.” {TMK 218.2}
“The badge of Christianity is not an outward sign, not the wearing of a cross or a crown, but it is that which reveals the union of man with God. By the power of His grace manifested in the transformation of character the world is to be convinced that God has sent His Son as its Redeemer. No other influence that can surround the human soul has such power as the influence of an unselfish life. The strongest argument in favor of the gospel is a loving and lovable Christian.” {MH 470.1}
To many in the world today, a “loving and lovable Christian” just doesnt make sense for a lot of people. It means nothing to them. But to Jesus, NOTHING IS SOMETHING.
Friends, Jesus loves you now. Jesus Loves You Now.
“But NOW in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made near by the blood of Christ.” Eph 2:13 We are made near NOW by the blood of Christ.
“Righteousness by faith means we are accepted before we are acceptable, we are loved before we are lovable, and we are received before we are receivable.” — Dr. Leslie Pollard at the Alberta Conference Ministries Convention, Apr 12, 2026.
To Jesus, NOTHING IS SOMETHING.