How should we pray for the seemingly impossible?

With this summer set to be the UK’s hottest on record, and my garden looking decidedly parched, I’ve found myself (like so many of us) yearning for rain.

This is unusual, because the solar-powered part of me is normally decrying the British summertime for being too wet!

But this year feels different, and it’s got me thinking …

I’ve written before about why rain is always a sign of God’s blessing. (See here.)  

I’ve also written previously about the time when I witnessed God sending rain, on sun-scorched land, in a quite remarkable way. (See here.)

So, this time, I want to write about how to posture ourselves to pray for rain during a prolonged drought – because I think it can teach us so much about how to posture ourselves in praying for breakthrough in other seemingly impossible situations.  

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There’s a story in the Bible about a prolonged drought.

It’s in 1 Kings 18, where we read how the drought has been sent by God as judgement against the nation of Israel – because of their blatant idolatry, particularly their worship of Baal, a fertility ‘god’.

At the point where I want us to join the story, the drought has been going on for three years.

Importantly, God has spoken into this tough time: “I will send rain on the land,” he has revealed to Elijah, his prophet (1 Kings 18:1)*.

Not long after this revelation, Elijah wins a significant public victory over the false prophets of Baal. He calls down fire from heaven, and God responds. The sacrifice and altar, both of which are drenched with water, are completely consumed by the fire. And those who worship Baal are left in no doubt about who is the one, true, living God!

It’s then that we read this verse:  

“So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.” (1 Kings 18:42)

For me, this verse is pivotal because I think it can teach us four things about the posture that we might want to try and adopt, when praying for a seemingly impossible situation, where God has promised breakthrough and it’s not yet come:

1. Get your priorities in order

The first thing we read in this verse is that, “Ahab went off to eat and drink”.  

To be fair to Ahab, Elijah has just told him in the previous verse: “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” So he is, in all likelihood, simply obeying instructions.

However, Ahab could have chosen not to satiate his hunger and thirst. He could have chosen not to indulge his physical appetites. He could have chosen to prioritised the needs of his people above his own needs, joining Elijah in praying.

But he doesn’t make this choice – and this creates a stark contrast between the two men.

This is because Elijah is, by implication, fasting. He is focusing not on food and drink, but on God; not on the carnal, but the spiritual.

Elijah knows that the nation desperately needs rain. He knows that God has promised to send it. And he knows that he needs to prioritise prayer, until the promise is fulfilled, and the breakthrough comes.

2. Get alone with God

The second thing we read in this verse is that, “Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel”.

He does this to remove himself from all distractions and demands. His desire is to get alone with God. He knows that, at the top of the mountain, he will be able to come into God’s presence and pray in peace. So he seeks out solitude.

Incidentally, it reminds me of Moses climbing to the top of Mount Sinai, which I have written about elsewhere. (See here.)

3. Humble yourself before God

The third thing we read in this verse is that Elijah “bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees”.

Now try to visualise what this looks like.

You should be picturing a man, kneeling in a foetal-like position – with his torso touching his thighs, his thighs enclosing his head, and his forehead touching the ground.

This is such an unusual way to pray that it’s not recorded anywhere else in the Scriptures.

But I think it reveals Elijah’s heart attitude.

By lowering himself into the dust, he is humbling himself before God, and acknowledging his total dependence on him. He is outworking Psalm 95:6: “Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker.”

And by putting his head between his thighs, he is blocking out sight, sound and every conceivable distraction. He is deliberately reducing all sensory input, in order to focus on the task in hand: pleading with God to send rain to end the drought.

4. Hold onto God’s promise*

The fourth thing to note is that, as mentioned above, God has promised Elijah, right at the start of this story: “I will send rain on the land.” (1 Kings 18:1)

There’s no room for doubt in this statement. Elijah knows that rain will come. But he doesn’t know God’s timing. So he’s holding onto God’s promise, as he prays in the waiting.

With this in mind, I can’t help but compare Elijah’s curled up foetal-like posture with that of a woman in labour. She knows her baby will be born. She knows the moment is imminent. But she has to keep pushing until the birth happens.

In the same way, Elijah knows that God is going to send rain on the land. Elijah knows that he can stand firm on God’s promise. But until it actually happens, Elijah has to travail in prayer, earnestly interceding, contending with God to bring breakthrough.

A couple of verses later, we discover that his perseverance has paid off, because “a cloud the size of a man’s hand” can be seen over the sea (1 Kings 18:44).

Breakthrough has come. God has fulfilled his promise and sent much-needed rain. The prolonged drought has come to an end.

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As you consider these four aspects of how Elijah postures himself to pray, let me ask you this:

1. How easy (or difficult) do you find it to prioritise your relationship with God above your carnal appetites?
2. What things work best for you, when trying to set aside the distractions and demands that dominate your time, to get alone with God?
3. When you come before God, what is your heart attitude like? How often do you humble yourself before him and submit yourself to him?
4. What promise has God spoken over your situation?* Are you trusting what he has said, standing firm on it, and persevering in prayer over it, until you see the breakthrough he has promised?

At the end of the day, if we want God to do the seemingly impossible – the equivalent of sending rain to end a prolonged period of drought – let’s learn from Elijah’s example and try to adopt a similar posture in the way we pray for it.

As always, constructive comments are welcome below.

(Please note: This is my ‘thought for the month’ reflection for August. You can find all my ‘thought for the month’ reflections here.)

*NB: The opening chapter of my book, ‘It’s All About the Light: How to Find God in Tough Times‘, unpacks how, when life turns tough, we must choose to listen to what God has to say about it and then stand firm on his word.

Image from Naassom Azevedo via Unsplash