1 Kgs 18:⁴¹ And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” ⁴² So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.  ⁴³ “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked.  “There is nothing there,” he said.   Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”  ⁴⁴ The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.”

If you read this chapter from the beginning, there was severe famine in the land, to the point where the king sent people to look for grass, to keep the horses and mules alive.  After there was a challenge, between prophet Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal, where Elijah called fire down from heaven.

Subsequently, Elijah told Ahab to go and eat and drink because there is the sound of heavy rain.  How could anyone believe such a thing?  For three and a half years, there was no rain, people were barely surviving.  To look up into the sky, there was no sign or sound of rain but the prophet heard the sound of heavy rain, through the ears of his spirit, he heard the sound of abundance of rain.  Hebs 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

This is what faith is all about. You’ve got to believe what you hear in your heart even when what you see is just the opposite. You hear abundance, but you may see lack. You hear health, but you may see sickness. You hear rain, but you may look around and see drought or as in the scripture above you see the hopelessness of drought but you hear the sound of heavy rain.

Roms 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

It’s easy to talk yourself out of what God wants to do. God is saying, “There’s about to be an abundance of favour in your life. The drought is coming to an end. You’re going to see healing, restoration, new opportunities and new growth.”

Elijah went on top of Mount Carmel; he asked his assistant to go look on the other side of the mountain to see if there’s any sign of rain. He put action behind his faith. He was expecting it to change. The assistant came back and said, “No, Elijah. There’s not a cloud in the sky.”

Gal 3:⁴ Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? ⁵ So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? ⁶ So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Remember, if you’re going to see abundance, you can’t let people talk you out of what God has placed in your heart. Don’t let words of doubt and discouragement take root. People don’t determine your destiny; God does. What you hear in your spirit is more powerful than any negative words that have been spoken over you. If you will listen carefully, you’ll hear the sound of abundance, the sound of increase, the sound of new levels. That’s the Creator of the universe calling out your seeds of greatness. God does not want you to stay where you are. He’s got new levels that He wants to take you up to. Trust Him and know that the rain of His blessing is coming!

1 Pet 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

When Elijah told Ahab that there was a sound of abundance of rain, there had as yet been no sound audible to the human ear. Elijah had only heard this sound by the hearing of faith – Ps 25: 14 The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.

As we continue to live through this uncertain times, may we hear the sound of the abundance of rain coming into our lives and those of our loved ones.  We know that we might be seeing ‘death’ of a job or some other dire situation but look onto Jesus who speaks life, into every dead situation and be encouraged.  

Ephs 1: ¹⁸ The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, ²⁰ Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹ Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: ²² And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church.

The paperback version of my books, are available for purchase from Amazon and the e-books are available on www.toladehinde.com :

• Prayer Personified

• Godly Declarations