devotional series may 4-7
This Devotional Series is based on a message delivered on May 3, 2026, and can be found at: https://www.kallamgrove.org/messages/the-prayer/
After the dramatic moment, Elijah does something quiet and hidden.
1 Kings 18:42-43
So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees.
And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” And he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go again,” seven times.
After the dramatic moment on Mount Carmel, Elijah does something quiet and hidden. He goes to the top of the mountain and bows low before the Lord. The fire has already fallen. God has already revealed His power. Yet Elijah still prays for what God has promised to do next. His posture tells us something about the nature of prayer. He bows down with his face between his knees. This is not casual or distracted prayer. It is focused, humble, and persistent. Elijah is not trying to impress anyone. There is no crowd watching.
Then comes the waiting. Elijah sends his servant to look toward the sea, and the report comes back. There is nothing. Elijah does not stop. He sends him again. And again. Seven times. The promise of rain has been given, but the evidence is not yet visible.
This passage reminds us that prayer often involves persistence. We may know what God has said. We may believe His promises. Yet there can be a gap between promise and fulfillment. In that gap, we keep praying. Elijah’s persistence is not driven by doubt but by trust. He continues to pray because he believes God will act. The repeated trips of the servant highlight the tension between what is seen and what is believed.
Many of us are familiar with that tension. We pray for something that aligns with God’s will, yet we do not see immediate change. This passage encourages us not to give up too quickly. God’s timing is often different from ours, but His faithfulness remains.
Reflection Question: Where is God calling you to continue praying even though you have not yet seen results?
Prayer: Lord, give me persistence in prayer and trust in Your timing.
After repeated reports of nothing, a small cloud appears.
1 Kings 18:44
And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’”
After repeated reports of nothing, a small cloud appears. It is easy to miss how small this beginning is. A cloud the size of a man’s hand does not seem like the answer to a drought that has lasted years. Yet Elijah immediately recognizes it as the sign of what is coming. He does not wait for the sky to be fully covered. He does not hesitate until the rain begins to fall. He responds to the small sign with confidence. He tells Ahab to prepare, because the rain is on its way.
This moment teaches us to pay attention to small evidences of God’s work. We often look for dramatic changes or unmistakable breakthroughs. Yet God frequently begins with something small. A slight shift in circumstances. A growing sense of peace. A small step of obedience. Faith recognizes these beginnings and responds accordingly. Elijah sees the small cloud and trusts that it will become a great rain. He understands that God’s work, once begun, will not fail.
For us, this means learning to notice and value what God is doing, even when it seems small. The beginning of an answer may not look impressive, but it carries the promise of what is to come.
Reflection Question: What small sign of God’s work might you be overlooking because it does not seem significant?
Prayer: God, help me recognize and trust the small beginnings of Your work in my life.
James brings Elijah into the New Testament as an example of prayer.
James 5:17-18
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.
Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
James brings Elijah into the New Testament as an example of prayer. What stands out is how he describes him. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. He was not presented as superhuman or beyond reach. He was a person who experienced weakness, fear, and limitation. Yet Elijah prayed fervently, and God responded. The power was not in Elijah himself but in the God to whom he prayed. This is an important reminder for us. It is easy to assume that effective prayer belongs to a certain kind of person. Someone more spiritual, more disciplined, or more experienced.
James removes that assumption. Elijah was like us. His prayers mattered because God is powerful and attentive. This encourages us to pray with greater confidence. We do not come to God based on our own worthiness. We come through His grace, trusting in His ability to act.
The connection between Elijah’s prayers and the events in 1 Kings shows that God works through the prayers of His people. He invites us to participate with what He is doing. Prayer is not a formality. It is a means through which God chooses to accomplish His purposes.
Reflection Question: How does knowing that Elijah was like you encourage you to pray more boldly?
Prayer: Father, help me pray with confidence, trusting in Your power rather than my ability.
Ask. Seek. Knock
Luke 11:9-10
And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you seek, and you will find knock, and it will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
Jesus describes prayer with three simple actions. Ask. Seek. Knock. Each one carries a sense of movement and persistence. Prayer is not presented as a single request offered once and forgotten. It is an ongoing pursuit of God. These words do not guarantee that every specific request will be granted exactly as we imagine. Instead, they emphasize the openness of God to those who come to Him. He is not distant or reluctant. He invites His people to approach Him with expectation.
The progression of ask, seek, and knock also suggests deepening engagement. Asking expresses a need. Seeking involves effort and attention. Knocking implies persistence at a closed door. Together, they paint a picture of a relationship where we continually turn toward God with our needs and desires. This passage connects with Elijah’s example. He asked, he sought, and he continued to knock through persistent prayer. In both cases, the focus is not only on the outcome but on the relationship with God that is strengthened through prayer.
For us, this is an invitation to remain engaged. Instead of praying once and moving on, we are called to keep coming to God, trusting that He hears and responds in His wisdom.
Reflection Question: In what area of your life do you need to keep asking, seeking, and knocking in prayer?
Prayer: Lord, help me pursue You faithfully in prayer with persistence and trust.