SIGNSpeaker: Dr. Paul Dhinakaran Gist: Before fulfilling His promises in your life, God will reveal it through a small sign. When you acknowledge and accept it surely God will fulfill His promises in your life. "There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!" (1 Kings 18:44). When Elijah's servant reported thus, great faith came upon Elijah, who had been so far struggling with God, with no indication of rain showing up. But when he heard these positive words of his servant, he was very happy about this small sign assuring the fact that God's promise of a rain would certainly be fulfilled. "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!" So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces"(2 Kings 2:12). As Elisha called Elijah in this fashion, when Elijah went up by the whirlwind to heaven, Elijah, because of his great faith had transformed himself into a chariot and horseman. As God's hand was upon him he girded his lions and ran ahead of Ahab, with his newfound strength.
My dear friend, we receive many promises from God. To signify that those promises are going to be fulfilled in our life, God first displays a small sign. When we realise that, let us hold on to it firmly with absolute faith. Let us not wait until they are completely fulfilled; even as God's small blessing starts working in us, let us fully trust that it will be perfected and begin to thank and praise the Lord. Let us, with absolute faith, start making preparations and efforts for the task lying ahead, when God's promises will be fully fulfilled, which will definitely happen. As soon as a small sign - a cloud as small as a man's hand - was given to Elijah, he stopped his prayer and started making preparations; he prepared the king also; he himself got ready for the event. The phenomenon immediately changed so as to fulfill God's promise. The hand-sized cloud turned into thick dark clouds bringing a heavy downpour of rain; the storm rose in a whirlwind. Similarly God will fulfill His promise in your life too. The sign we expressly have today is that God is with us. "They went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs." (Mark 16:20)
A few years ago, when we were conducting 'Jesus Calls' prayer meetings in Mumbai, I had to preach on the fourth day evening meeting. The whole day, I was in a sad mood because of various kinds of turmoil. As my parents had gone away to give a Television Interview, I was alone, on the dais waiting for the start of the Meeting. Thronging crowds of more than two lakhs in strength were waiting the signs and wonders from the Lord. A subtle unconscious hesitancy, as to how I was to meet the needs of the innumerable people seeped into my mind. But when I had prayed for the blessings for the Meeting God has promised me t hat He would come with me, He would perform miracles, He would draw towards Him thousands of people. The time for my message came; I got up on the dais; that was all. God's power descended upon me. I felt as though I was standing on a cloud, this was something extra-ordinary and special, that day. When I began to preach the word of the God, demon-possessed people began to run helter-skelter. On seeing that, I received a great joy and enthusiasm. All my faltering vanished, as I felt that God was with me and that was why these evil spirits were fleeting. Immediately, I praised the Lord from the bottom of my heart. During Prayer-time I directed the people with the utmost faith. Many miracles unseen before, happened in that evening Meeting.
Elijah's happiness can be gauged this way. When found a small hand-shaped cloud rising up, his mind was filled with great joy. He received a supernatural strength that empowered him to run and overtake Ahab's chariot. The joy, God grants us through His signs and signals makes us supernaturally powerful and gives us the power to overcome man's laws and authority, and inspires in us a desire to do great things for the Lord.
Prayer:
Loving Heavenly Father,
The Heavenly host proclaims Your glory and sings 'Holy, Holy, Holy'. Let Your plan and Your will be done in my life. I trust in You and believe that You will surely fulfill Your promises in my life. Transform me to be zealous like Elijah and fill me with the double portion of anointing like Elijah. Help me to trust You wholeheartedly. Shield me that I will never go astray from Your incomparable love and grace. In Jesus' mighty name, I pray.
Amen. |