“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.”
~1Kings 18:42-45

The prophet of God, Elijah, prayed for rain in the land of Israel because the heavens had been shut up for three and a half years. He climbed to the top of Mount Carmel, bent down to the ground, put his head between his knees and prayed. Then he repeatedly sent his servant to check for rain in between several sessions of prayer. At the 7^th instance, the servant saw a tiny rain cloud that signaled an impending rainstorm.

Now, reflect on the following questions:

Which of those Elijah’s sessions of bending down to the ground and putting his face between his knees and praying caused the cloud – the size of a human hand – to rise from the sea?
Was it the first time he did it?
Was it the third time he did it?
Was it the fourth time he did it?
Which one created the result?
Was it the seventh one?
Or was it a combination of the seven?

Furthermore, which of the servant’s trip enabled him to see the cloud?
Was it the first time?
Was it the second time?
Was it the third time?

And if you were in the servant’s shoes, how many times would you be willing, under the instruction of Elijah, to go out to look?
When would you have stopped?
When are you going to get tired of looking?
Is tenacity a regular custom with you?

Also if you were Elijah, when would you have gotten tired of bending to the ground and putting your head between your knees?
When are you going to get tired of just doing the same thing again, and again, and again?
Is that your style?
Is tenacity your pattern?

Do you usually lace your efforts with tenacity?
Is that your normal way of doing things?
Are you willing to do things again, and again, and again?

Memory Verse:
1Kings 18:42-45
“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.

Prayer: 
Heavenly Father, please help me to fortify my efforts with tenacity. Enable me, Father, to be willing to do the same things again and again, in Jesus’ name.
Amen.