Sometimes we get to see God respond immediately to earnest prayer. On April 3, 1974, a devastating tornado tore through Xenia, Ohio. That F5 storm is considered one of the worst tornadoes in American history, killing 32 people with winds exceeding 300 miles per hour. In today’s dollars, the tornado created $1.63 billion in damage. A few miles northeast, Cedarville College stood directly in the storm’s path.
At around 4:30 in the afternoon, the president of Cedarville College looked out his office window in horror as he saw that storm approaching. He prayed the brief but earnest prayer, “Lord, save the school!” The tornado lifted, damaged the roof of one building, and spared the rest of the campus. The Lord responded to his prayer immediately and miraculously.
If you’re like me, you would love to see God answer every prayer that quickly. But often we keep praying while our circumstances remain unchanged. Is he still the same God? Can we trust him when the answer does not come right away?
Last week, we watched Elijah offer one prayer, and the Lord answered with fire from heaven. This Sunday, in 1 Kings 18:41–46, we will see Elijah pray and wait. God has already promised to send rain after three and a half years of drought. Yet as Elijah bows before him and sends his servant to look toward the sea, the report keeps coming back: “There is nothing.”
“Go again,” Elijah says. Finally, on the seventh trip, the servant sees a cloud no larger than a man’s hand. Soon, the rain comes.
The God who answered by fire was just as faithful while Elijah waited for rain. How should we pray during the waiting? What has God promised, and how do we respond? Join us this Sunday as we consider what it means to keep praying to the God who sends the rain.
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