Win the Day #9 | Seed the Clouds – B Side
Vincent Shaefer experiments with GE on November 13, 1946. He flies into a cloud with 6 pounds of dry ice. Dry ice dropped into a cumulus cloud and caused an explosion of snow. Snowfall was seen for miles.
Prayer dropped into the heavens, releases God’s presence and power into the earth.
Prayer is the difference between letting things happen and making things happen.
James 5:16 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
James 5:17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.
James 5:18 And he prayed again, and the sky poured rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
Elijah models Cloud Seeding prayer for us. God sends a drought to Israel as a consequence of their disobedience, then 3 years & 6 months later God sends rain again.
All of this is effected through:
- The life
- The prayers
- The words
- Of Elijah
Elijah stood in the gap for God’s purpose. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
- Cloud Seeding Prayer is a Prophetic Declaration
Elijah prophecies no rain.
1 Kings 17:1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.”
This was a prophetic judgment on Israel because they had forsaken the Lord and had turned to serve other gods (Baal).
Prayer needs to be seen in it’s prophetic dimension. Prayer is declaring the truth of God to your situation.
There are other aspects of prayer
- Asking, inquiring
- Worship
- Cloud Seeding Prayer is Birthed out of a Word from the Lord
1 Kings 18:1 Now it happened after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth.
Elijah hears a sound no one else is hearing because he’s tuned to a different frequency no one else is listening to.
What are you listening to? It matters a lot
- Cloud Seeding Prayer Realizes the Promise of God is not Automatically Fulfilled but Must be Prayed Through
1 Kings 18:42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he crouched down on the earth and put his face between his knees.
1 Kings 18:43 He said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go back” seven times.
1 Kings 18:44 It came about at the seventh time, that he said, “Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘ Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’”
When Elijah saw the cloud the size of a man’s hand, he saw something different than others saw because he had been seeding the clouds.
You just see things differently when you look at it from a place of prayer. Everyone else may have just seen a little cloud.
There are little things that God will do that don’t seem to matter to anyone else. But they matter to you because you’ve been seeking God.
Elijah’s doing his battles in the prayer closet. Though he had a promise from God concerning rain, he still did the work of prayer to bring it to pass.
What is promised has to be apprehended.
Daniel 9:1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans—
Daniel 9:2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.
Daniel 9:3 So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.
Daniel read Jeremiah’s prophecy about the 70 years of captivity. He saw the 70 years were up so he began to fast and pray that the prophetic word would come to pass.
Daniel 10:11 He said to me, “O Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling.
Daniel 10:12 Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.
Daniel 10:13 “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.
That’s when He encountered warfare in the heavenlies. The enemy will always war against the purpose of God being fulfilled.
The enemy may war against God’s promise being fulfilled in your life but he can never ultimately stop it.
Pray your prophetic words through:
- What you see in the word
- What comes alive to you
- Cloud Seeding Prayer is Persistent
There are moments when you need to press in and pray through. You need to see the clouds with contending prayer.
1 Kings 18:43 He said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go back” seven times.
Faith is persistent. Effective prayer is full of faith.
Elijah owned the promise of rain in his heart, now he’s just looking for it to manifest in the natural.
Prayer is not just complaining to God or just informing Him of the situation.
There is a persistent push of faith in effective prayer.
PUSH – pray until something happens
Luke 18:1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart,
Luke 18:2 saying, “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God, and did not respect man.
Luke 18:3 “And there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’
Luke 18:4 “And for a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man,
Luke 18:5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, lest by continually coming she wear me out.
Luke 18:6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge *said;
Luke 18:7 now shall not God bring about justice for His elect, who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?
Luke 18:8 “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
Jesus saw her persistence as faith. This is not just the same as asking over and over again… It’s a confidence that God will do it that keeps us going after the answer.
Some teach: pray once, the rest is unbelief.
Others teach: just accept whatever. OR you prayed once and it didn’t happen so must not be God’s will.
True faith is persistent until the answer comes. You’ve got a word.
Now you’re doing the work of birthing it.
- Cloud Seeding Prayer Remains Expectant Outside of the Prayer Closet
1 Kings 18:44 It came about at the seventh time, that he said, “Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’”
1 Kings 18:45 In a little while the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.
That little cloud didn’t mean anything to just casual passer-bys. But Elijah had something in his spirit.
He saw something others couldn’t see because he was looking for something others weren’t looking for. The cloud didn’t give him faith, It wasn’t big enough.
But because of what He had won in prayer, he acted on what came out of his prayer time. Sometimes we lose our reward after prayer time. We prayed through, we touched heaven. But then walk out and act and talk like we’ve completely forgotten what just happened.
Carry the spirit of faith. That sense of peace. That certainty of victory. That you won in your prayer closet. Bring it with you.
That victory you secured for.
- Your family
- Your business
- Your ministry
Carry it with you. Pray like it depends on God. Work like it depends on you.