There are times in our lives when the Lord’s visitation may bring famine rather than fire.
Elijah’s victory over the prophets of Baal is a well-known truth in Christian circles: how, as he stood alone before some 450 false prophets, and knowing the loser of the “altar battle” would be put death, God answered his prayer with fire from heaven.
Many would think that response was the Lord’s first visitation following Elijah’s prayer; however, His first responses was some forty-two months earlier, when Elijah prayed for famine and not fire (James 5:17; 1 Kings 17:1).
Yes, there are times in our lives when the Lord’s visitation may bring famine rather than fire. We may pray thinking God’s fire will fall, but (because His ways are not ours) famine comes and we may miss the fact He has answered our prayer!
Bob Sorge writes,
“When a famine hits our life, we don’t realize God has just answered our prayer. Circumstances suggest that God has forsaken us, but in actuality He has just visited us. Let’s not be like the Jews of Jesus’ day who came into judgment because they did not know the time of their visitation (Luke 19:44). God’s visitation does not always come packaged the way we would have expected. Sometimes His visitation is a famine. The famine is His way of bringing us to desperate dependence and great spiritual thirst. So if you’re in an especially dry time spiritually, perhaps it’s because God has visited you! Here’s a word of encouragement: If God has visited you with famine, get ready, fire’s a-comin’!”
(The Fire of Delayed Answers, Oasis House, p 192).
Embrace the famine as you would the fire!
It was during the famine Elijah experienced food by ravens; oil and flour that never ran out; and the raising of the widow’s son. All famine-based experiences which revealed more of God in His divine response to prayer.
