“Then Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.’” 1 King 18: 41 (NKJ)
“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.” James 5:17-18 (NKJ)
Breakthrough belief goes beyond believing God for our salvation and deliverance but believes that God will move heaven and earth on our behalf. Breakthrough belief goes beyond hopeful expectation but believes that God is more than able and will do “exceeding and abundantly above all that we ask and think according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20).
Elijah’s arrival has been described by some commentaries as “a meteor flashing across the dark, midnight sky into the darkness of Israel’s spiritual night.” God had ceased to talk directly to man (direct revelation) since the days of Joshua. But now, He called upon Elijah the Tishbite to help Him restore Israel, who foolishly exchanged worship of the Living God Jehovah for Baal worship. God needed someone with breakthrough belief.
Israel’s apostasy was accelerated by the arrival of King Ahab to the throne. “There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited” (1 Kings 21:25). Ahab and the people had turned to the gods of Baalim, the gods of the fertility cult. They needed to be reminded that Jehovah was the God of all Creation. All things were made by Him and apart from Him, nothing existed, in heaven, on earth and under the earth—this included fertility and life.
For their sin, Israel would receive neither dew nor rain except by Elijah word (1 Kings 17:1). That punishment was to be in the form of a drought lasting three and one-half years. So that the people would know that the drought was a disciplinary act from God Himself, it now ended as it had begun—at the command of a man of God (James 5:18). Elijah would demonstrate breakthrough belief.
How can we demonstrate breakthrough belief in our Christian walk?
By how we wait. We must continue to do those things which God has purposed for us until God orchestrates a change in our situation. Elijah did not sit idly waiting to hear something new from God but he obediently followed what he did hear. He followed the instructions God shared and attended to the needs of people God set in his path such as the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:9-24).
By how we pray. We pray in expectation that God has heard our prayer and is in the process of answering that prayer—even before we can see it. Elijah first told Ahab that he could break his fast. He told him, “Go up, eat and drink” (1 King 18:41). Elijah then informed Ahab of the coming change in the weather—“I hear the sound of rain.” (my paraphrase) He didn’t see it physically but he believed it. Finally, Elijah prayed. He then sent his servant (seven times) to watch and to tell him to tell him, not if but when he saw the rain clouds approaching. That’s breakthrough belief.
How did Elijah acquire breakthrough belief? His belief was not based on his ability. It was based on WHO he believed—Jehovah God. Elijah believed in the character of God—His goodness, His greatness, and His faithfulness. Like the people of Israel, we need to be reminded that the God we serve is the God of all Creation. Elijah’s name is translated “my God is Jahweh or Jehovah.” When you have God as your God breakthrough belief is easy. Elijah was a man with a nature just like us (James 5:17). Do what he did! Practice waiting and start praying. Then listen for the “sound of abundance.”
Prayer: Father God, give me more breakthrough belief. Help me to place my complete trust in who You are—the Creator and Sustainer of all things. Increase my expectation to the point that I prepare myself to receive all that You will richly provide. Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. (Jeremiah 32:17)