the power of squinting

1 Kings 18:41-45
41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees,
43 and 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.”
44 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.’”
45 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.
46 Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.


You know how when you squint, you can see things from far away? Things that were probably blurry when your eyes were normal. But if you squint… if you tighten your eyes and change their position you can see things from afar. Things that were there before but you just couldn’t see them. Things that aren’t close but close enough.
Elijah heard a sound... he heard the sound of the abundance of rain. The drought would soon be over and all they were waiting for was the rain. So he went on top of a mountain and put his face between his knees [meaning he wasn’t looking], and told his servant to look for a cloud. First time he looked… nothing. Second time he looked… nothing. Sounds familiar? First time you prayed… nothing. Second time you prayed… nothing.
BUT wait… on the 7th time he saw something. Something far away. Something very small. So small it probably wouldn’t have been worth mentioning. So small he could of probably missed it. But he saw it. And you know what he did? He said “Prepare your chariot, before the rain stops you”… we all know that in order for rain to stop us from doing anything it has to be bad. It has to be big and heavy. And even though the cloud they saw was the size of a hand, they were preparing for abundance. The cloud could have been blown to the other direction. It could have even stopped somewhere else. But they knew it was coming… that it was for them.
Whatever your waiting for, whatever your praying for… squint your eyes and see, for the vision is yet for an appointed time!! Whatever mountain your standing on top of, and whatever your looking for… squint your eyes, because the Spirit of God is about to raise up a standard! Whatever it is, wherever it is… it’s coming. For eye has not seen nor ear has heard the things that God has prepared for those who love him. The rains about to come… and it’s heavy.
That’s the power of squinting…