Never Too Small
- AfraOpoku
- March 23, 2026
- Uncategorized
- 0 Comments
Brash.
As a descriptive? Yes.
That’s not all though.
I have an entire list when I’m thinking of words that describe Elijah.
Intimidating. Powerful. No-Nonsense. Temperamental.
I could go on but you get the picture.
The one word I didn’t think to add- before today? Patient.
You probably agree with me.
Elijah by definition is the in-your-face mocker of false god’s1 with zero hesitation on the power of the Almighty – except in relation to Jezebel2— but I digress.
This was a man who regularly confronted Kings3,4,5 and had the ability to call down fire from heaven.
As a general rule, you didn’t mess with Elijah if you knew what was good for you.
I call him patient because of an epilogue to the Mount Carmel story.6
Calling down fire had started with a drought and even with the annihilation of baal worship, the land remained dry and God’s power didn’t resolve economic pain as long as the heavens remained shut.
Weary from what had been a hectic day, Elijah retreated not to rest but to pray.
What was he asking for?
Rain.
Whenever I think of the words watch and pray7, I wonder if Jesus was thinking of this particular scene.
With his head between his knees, Elijah sent his servant to go scan the horizon for evidence of God’s response.
The last prayer Elijah prayed had been answered in an instant8. It stood to reason that the more God delayed; the more likely it was that Elijah would say, “You know, God’s not really feeling this rain thing. Maybe we can try again after a season of penance.”
After the day’s events, no one would have dared question him.
Elijah didn’t do that.
The first time his servant came back with no news, Elijah had him go back and resumed prayer.
Second time: Nothing.
Third time’s a charm didn’t work either.
This continued three more times and finally on the seventh time, there was news.
Not a drizzle. No dark clouds.
The sky remained bright; except familiarity with the skyline caused the servant to noticed a slight change.
There was a small cloud, the size of a fist.
Color me unimpressed.
A seven – time trek and the best is a fist in the sky?
This was a perfect time for Elijah to send the servant on trip number eight.
That didn’t happen
God had sent the memo and Elijah got it.
Prayer time was over; now it was time to announce the news.
The rain was coming and if the King didn’t get moving, he would be caught in it.
Elijah started to run. A distance of about 30km.9
That’s a 20 – minute drive on a highway with no traffic.
This was no normal run. After the day Elijah had had; he should have been in no condition to cover that distance. Fueled by the Spirit of God, he outran the King’s chariot.
I’ve been known to shelve prayer when I don’t get a response after asking twice.
I’ve been known to dismiss a sign from heaven as too small to pay attention to.
Thankfully I’m not Elijah.
The man who had experience with God’s variable rate responses stayed the course and his faith and patience were rewarded.
After a barely-there sign in the clouds; God sent a torrential rain strong enough to cancel out the effects of a drought that had lasted close to half a decade.
Elijah is often put up as an example for believers to follow.10
For someone with his temperament, it’s his patience I find fascinating.
God doesn’t answer instantly most of the time.
Elijah shows us what persistence looks like in real time with no signs that things are going our way.
There is also a lesson in the fist-sized cloud.
God is inconspicuous.
He tends to favour the still small voice that we mistake for our own and not the booming Morgan Freeman-type acoustics you would expect.
Don’t skip the answers that aren’t glaring.
Don’t give up on the second or the seventh try.
Waiting on God is always worth it.
His answers are strong enough to wipe out a dusty past and blossom up your life.
1st Kings 18v27
- 1st Kings 19v2-3
- 1st Kings21 v 20-24
- 1st Kings 18v18
- 2nd Kings 1 v 16-18
6- 1st Kings 18v16-40
7 Matt 26 v41
8 1st Kings 18 v 37-38
9 Biblehub.com
10James 5 v 17