Prayer That Hears Before Seeing
April 14, 2025
"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."
1 Kings 18:41-42 (NIV)
Ever walked outside with an umbrella when the weather forecast showed clear skies?
Your neighbors probably thought you'd lost your mind. That's exactly what happened with Elijah. After 3½ years of drought—1,278 days without a single raindrop—he told King Ahab, "I hear the sound of heavy rain." There wasn't a cloud in sight, but Elijah heard what nobody else could.
Faith doesn't wait for evidence before it acts. Elijah didn't say, "I'll pray when I see clouds" or "I'll believe it when I feel raindrops." Instead, he climbed Mount Carmel and fell on his face in prayer. He heard the promise before he saw the provision. That's what Paul meant in 2 Corinthians 5:7 when he said, “For we live by faith, not by sight.”
When you get alone with God, you're letting Him know two things: you're not trying to impress anybody else, and you believe that He answers prayer. Charles Spurgeon said it best: "Keep your public prayer short and sweet and let your private prayers go as long as you want." Get alone with God and you’ll hear the sound of His promise–even when no one else can.
The world says, "Show me and I'll believe it." God says, "Believe Me and I'll show you." What promise from God are you waiting to see fulfilled?
This week, set aside 15 minutes daily for completely undistracted prayer. Turn everything off. Get alone. And pray as if the answer is already on its way—because it is.
Remember, in God's economy, sound precedes sight. Faith hears the approaching rain while the sky is still cloudless.
Prayer: Lord, Thank You for Your great and precious promises. Let me hear them before I see them fulfilled. Help me trust Your Word enough to act before I see the evidence. Thank You that You're already sending the rain I need. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.