What the Small Cloud Means

And [Elijah] said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.” Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’” (1 Kings 18:43-44)

Elijah had prayed, and for 3 ½ years rain was withheld from the Kingdom of Israel as judgment against their state-sponsored idolatry and persecution of the people of God. After the dramatic defeat of the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel, it was time for Elijah to change course in prayer. Now he would pray that God would send rain after having previously stopped the rain.

Elijah bowed down on the ground, in a posture of deep submission. A few hours before he had stood tall like a mighty oak tree against the prophets of Baal; now Elijah bowed like a wind-blown blade of grass in his prayer to God. It shows the truth of what F.B. Meyer wrote: “The men who stand straightest in the presence of sin bow lowest in the presence of God.”

As Elijah prayed for rain he expected an answer, and he would not stop praying until the answer came. So he sent his servant out to look for the clouds of coming rain. The servant went out and saw nothing; Elijah kept praying. Five more times the prophet sent his servant to see the answer to prayer and the servant saw nothing. Yet, “it came to pass the seventh time.” This was stubbornly persistent prayer. It was as if Elijah would not take “no” for an answer, because he was confident that it was God’s will to send rain. He stubbornly furthered the will of God by his persistent prayer. It is a good thing that Elijah didn’t quit praying after six previous disappointments.

Elijah prayed, asking in faith for God to send the rain. Elijah obviously sensed this was the will of God, yet it was his fervent prayer that brought the rain.

Finally, the servant brought a report: “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” After all that prayer, Elijah may have wanted bigger evidence than a small cloud on the distant horizon. The evidence of the rain came slowly and in a small way, but out of this small evidence God brought a mighty work.

Elijah knew that the small cloud meant a big work was on the way. He told King Ahab in faith, “Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.” Based only on the sighting of a cloud that was as small as a man’s hand, he knew a torrent was on the way. When we see God moving in even small ways among us, we should have great faith for a greater work to come.

Based on The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik.