A friend of mine shared this with me and I think it is worth reading and taking to heart. Enjoy!
Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again. Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you." Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. -1 Kings 18:41-46
The previous scene on Mt. Carmel was one of remarkable power-God answered Elijah's prayer by fire and all the priests of Baal were killed. After such success, Elijah does not wait for applause of fame. His ear is more spiritually attuned. He listens for another sound- "a sound of abundance of rain." He is alone, head between his knees, bowing in expectant prayer before God. He prays with his ears open, listening to the expected rain, and with his eyes watching for it.
To "wait on" or "wait upon" the Lord are common biblical phrases, occurring twenty-one times in the Old Testament. The root of the Hebrew word translated "wait on" means "to wait expectantly." It is the same Hebrew word used to describe a servant's attitude toward his master, always watching, expecting motions or looks to direct his service (Ps. 123:2).
Examine your own prayer life. Are you praying expectantly? Is your faith focused upward, looking for the "clouds" that contain God's answer? Or do the sights and sounds of people absorb your focus and concentration? After pouring out his soul and pleading for rain, Elijah instructs his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." Elijah's praying is expectant, for he was resting in God's promise (1 Kings 17). Lack of expectation can be a serious fault in our prayers; we pray but do not go to a vantage point from which we can "look toward the sea" for the fulfillment of God's promises.
If we are truly waiting for God, we will also be waiting upon Him. For example, this morning when you read your Bible, was your mind's eye upon the Master? Were you asking, "Is there spiritual food here for me?" Did you read the Scriptures expectantly, asking, "What divine instruction is there here for me?" When attending church, do you ask, "What truth will the Lord apply to my heart?" Do you remember the Canaanite woman who continued looking to the Lord, expectantly waiting upon the words and actions of Christ (Matt. 15:21-28)? This is what Scripture calls us to.
Expectant prayer conquers discouragement. There are times when we pray and do not see an answer: there is not a single cloud in the sky, not the trace of an answer. At such times, we can conclude that our prayer is in vain; God will not answer it at all. Expectant prayer, however, looks beyond the cloudless skies. It views God, looking for His clouds and listening for His approaching footsteps. Expectant prayer goes again to pray and to look-seven times or more, if necessary.
Waiting upon the Lord is the opposite of a fatalistic and self-excusing spirit. This deadly attitude complains, "I can do nothing; what will be, will be." Rather, waiting upon God is active, intense, careful, personal, expectant waiting. Psalm 27:14 tells us to "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." The capitalized name of the Lord indicates Jehovah (Yahweh), the faithful, unchanging, covenant-keeping God, the eternal "I am that I am." This is the hope that enables us to wait expectantly, going to look again and again for the Lord's answer. Unexpectant prayer does not even look for God's answer. Wavering prayer may only look two or three times, being quickly discouraged by a cloudless sky. Such prayers lack the expectant attitude of believers who look "seven times." Those praying expectantly pray and pray, looking again and again.
Waiting upon God is an exercise of faith, hope, and love, especially in times of adversities, trails, and setbacks. Having faith in God means not looking to self, not having faith in self, but instead looking expectantly to God. We must look to Him, not to ourselves. We may not be able to see the solution to our problems; circumstances may be dark and confusing, but we continue to wait upon the Lord, for He is our King (Ps. 20:9). Wait upon God with anticipation and expectation. Look forward to His help and care.
God often exercises and strengthens our faith, hope, and love immeasurably through active waiting. The seventh time Elijah's servant looked, he said, "There ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand." This sign is all that expectant faith needs; by faith Elijah sees the rain already and instructs Ahab to go down, that "the rain stop thee not." Unexpectant prayer has Thomas's attitude: "Elijah, I will not believe it until the drops fall. A cloud is not rain. I must first see it and then I will believe." But Elijah sees fulfillment in the little cloud on the horizon.
And then, Elijah runs. He runs before the king's chariot all the way to Jezreel, full of expectancy in God. God instructs us to pray expectantly, waiting on Him.
What a wonderful privilege it is during setbacks and trials to walk and run by the grace with hope, waiting on the Almighty! Then we experience an inward calm in unsettling circumstances, light in darkness, and sing praise to God while bound in the dungeon. This is only possible through Jesus Christ who merited the grace of holy waiting through His sufferings. He applies His own Word: "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD" (Ps. 27:14).
~From the book "Developing a Healthy Prayer Life" by James and Joel Beeke
