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Elijah Refused to Be Discouraged, July 18
And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there
ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said,
Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that
the rain stop thee not.
1 Kings 18:44
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Important lessons are presented to us in the experience of Elijah. When
upon Mt. Carmel he offered the prayer for rain, his faith was tested, but he
persevered in making known his request unto God. Six times he prayed
earnestly, and yet there was no sign that his petition was granted, but
with a strong faith he urged his plea to the throne of grace. Had he given
up in discouragement at the sixth time, his prayer would not have been
answered.... We have a God whose ear is not closed to our petitions; and
if we prove His word, He will honor our faith. He wants us to have all our
interests interwoven with His interests, and then He can safely bless us;
for we shall not then take glory to self when the blessing is ours, but shall
render all the praise to God. God does not always answer our prayers the
first time we call upon Him; for should He do this, we might take it for
granted that we had a right to all the blessings and favors He bestowed
upon us
The servant watched while Elijah prayed.... As he searched his heart,
he seemed to be less and less, both in his own estimation and in the sight of
God. It seemed to him that he was nothing, and that God was everything;
and when he reached the point of renouncing self, while he clung to the
Saviour as his only strength and righteousness, the answer came
However courageous and successful a man may be in the performance
of a special work, unless he looks constantly to God when circumstances
arise to test his faith he will lose his courage. Even after God has given
him marked tokens of His power, after he has been strengthened to do
God’s work, he will fail unless he trusts implicitly in Omnipotence
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37
The Review and Herald, March 27, 1913
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38
The Review and Herald, May 26, 1891
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39
The Review and Herald, October 16, 1913
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213