Cloud of Hope
Friday, September 19
1 Kings 18:44 (NIV)
"The seventh time the servant reported, 'A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.' So Elijah said, 'Go and tell Ahab, Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.'"
Devotion
Elijah prayed through a spiritual drought, sending his servant six times to scan the horizon for hope. Six times—nothing. But on the seventh, a tiny cloud, as small as a man’s hand, appeared. That small sign heralded a mighty downpour. And like Pastor Jentezen Franklin preached in the "Seventh Hand" sermon this past Sunday, that seventh moment is where God’s hand moves beyond our human effort. Six handbreadths build what we can, but the seventh—God’s hand—brings what we can’t: revival, salvation, miracles.
This cloud reminds us that God’s power often starts small, almost unnoticed, yet it carries the promise of abundance. In our lives, we may feel stuck, seeing nothing after our own six tries—our best efforts, our plans, our strength. But God calls us to look again, to trust His hand to bring the rain. Are you praying for a breakthrough, a loved one’s salvation, a generation’s awakening? Keep seeking, for the seventh hand is near, ready to pour out His Spirit, transforming dry places into rivers of life.
Today's Prayer
Dear Jesus,
I thank You for Your promise to never leave or forsake me. You are with me always. I declare as the psalmist said, ‘I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.’ I trust You with my life. I trust You to lead me in the paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake. Thank You for Your guiding, delivering hand and for loving me more than I would ever know. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Apply It Today
In our quiet time with the Lord, take a second look at the tiny details we may have missed. Signs that God is moving in our midst. Write down the verses the Lord leads you to, ones of promise, encouragement, and hope. Then speak them aloud. For ‘faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ’ (Rom. 10:17). God is not done with you yet. The cloud is coming!
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