TWO WELCOME SOUNDS
N. T. Meek
1 Kings 18: 41–46; 19: 1–4, 19–21
I would like to speak about the “sound of abundance of rain”, and what one might read into the latter scriptures as the sound of running feet. The general setting is that Elijah, a man of God, had stood firmly in relation to the question of whether God’s rights were to be honoured or whether this foreign god, Baal, was to be respected. Thank God for every stand in relation to what is due to Himself! In one sense, God can protect, and does protect, His own testimony.
In another sense, He uses persons to do it. Thank God for everyone who is prepared to do it.
Elijah had acted very steadfastly and very bravely. He had apparently stood alone. And he had maintained whole thoughts, too, for the brethren. In taking twelve stones for the altar he was thinking of all the brethren being saved. It is important that we should hold that, and not hold a section only of the truth, or any sectional idea, but carry in our hearts a longing that the whole of God’s people should be saved. Paul carried that in relation to his people. “Our whole twelve tribes”, he says (Acts 26: 7). He would not allow the thought of any being missing.
Elijah’s had been a remarkable stand, a fearless stand. God had blessed it. And now, Elijah detects a sound of an abundance of rain, that is, a ministry of blessing. We always need, dear brethren, to look for that. In fact, that is almost the last word, is it not, in the Old Testament (Malachi 3: 10)? God says, as it were, ‘You see if there will not be a ministry of blessing’.
And surely there was, especially when Christ came. Now Elijah heard this sound before anyone else. He heard the sound of this abundance. Scripture speaks about the latter rain, which fills out the crop. That is not exactly the rain that helps to germinate the seed but the rain that fills out the crop to perfection, causing it to reach a fulness and quality which is superb. The Lord is worthy of that. Before He comes for the church, He is worthy of the best.
We may feel the smallness of matters outwardly, but as far as you and I are concerned, let us aim that He should have the best. The ear of this spiritual man, this godly man, heard it. He heard the sound of an abundance of rain. He sent his servant to look toward the sea. But his servant could not see anything. So he virtually said, ‘Keep going, and I will keep praying’.
One thing that has impressed me of late is the power of the prayer of a godly man. Scripture, later, in James, speaks of the fervent supplication of the righteous man. He is a person to whom God lends His ear. Reverently, one might say that God cannot but lend His ear to the prayer of a righteous man. Elijah bowed down on the earth; he put his face between his knees. He is urgent. He represents an exercise of soul which makes one feel very shallow. I pray, and if I pray for long I tend to go to sleep. Elijah did not go to sleep. His face was between his knees. The servant went seven times. And Elijah was praying. As the servant went to and fro, to and fro seven times, Elijah was sustained in prayer. We have been exhorted of late that there is no substitute for prayer. It calls upon God, calls upon His ear. It claims God’s ear, so that God Himself is moved to act. And the answer came. At the seventh time the servant says, “There is a cloud”; it is very small, but the answer was beginning to come. O, dear brethren, we may have to travail, we may have to continue to pray, but the answer will come. It may come in a small way, but sometimes you are aware that the beginning of an answer is in sight. It is a fine thing when that is so, when you feel that there is some token, something moving.
Mr. Taylor saw that in the last war; he saw the turning of the tide of the war before most did.
You can read of it in his letters. He detected, in certain matters that happened, the turning of the tide before the statesmen did. He was a spiritual man. He was a man who prayed about it. You can see that from his letters too, how he travailed for the brethren who were specially affected. It is a very affecting thing to think of the prayer of such a righteous man. It had much power, I am sure, with God. There were many prayers in that connection. And there is one thing, dear brethren, that is always timely, and that is to pray. The Lord said that men should always pray, and not faint (Luke 18: 1). It is a question about which we feel very measured, in connection with ourselves and localities, and our households, as to the amount that we sustain it. But there was first the sound of the abundance of rain, and then the rain came. It is a very affecting matter. And I think, if we have an ear for it, we may detect in our localities a certain stirring. I say that guardedly and yet I believe I have detected it, that there is in our gatherings a sound of something moving, something beginning to move. It may be it is small, small as a man’s hand. That is not very big, especially when you looked out over the Mediterranean, as I suppose it was here. You wonder how he saw it. He had some spiritual sight, I suppose, this young man. Sometimes in a locality there is a stirring in a brother or sister, something coming into an occasion which is indicating that God is moving, that God is moving in answer to someone’s prayer.
Now in 1 Kings 19 there is a fresh circumstance. Elijah is like an older brother in the locality, with much experience. And yet he is subject to weakness, to decline, and even to despondency. One would speak very tenderly about this, because although he had stood so magnificently he gets frightened by the threat of a woman. It is extraordinary, is it not? She said only one thing and he went for his life. It shows the weakness, I think, the element of weakness that marks us.
What poor material we are! He became despondent; and it is possible for us to do that too. He had heard the sound of the abundance of rain, and then a little while afterwards he was despondent. Such is our weakness, dear brethren.
How often we are affected by circumstances! We get a lift up; there is a stirring of life in a locality, someone coming to the meetings a bit more regularly, for instance. You are thankful for it; you see a certain promise. And then the thing seems to lapse. And the tendency for us is to get despondent. This dear servant, this honoured servant, got despondent. He needs reviving. What he needs is someone to cheer him, to pour some water on his hands. We know what has been said about this, how he resigned his commission. God is very tender with him.
And so should we be, very tender with one another, and we should be very tender with old persons too, very patient, persons who have stood in their day, ahead of us. We should be very patient. It is an affecting thing to witness, that character of patience with old persons.
And when weakness sets in, it is a very affecting thing. I am sure that patience is pleasing to God.
Elijah had been a fine brother. He had stood alone at one time. Against eight hundred and fifty false prophets he had stood alone (1 Kings 18: 19). He had revived one brother, one young man who had died. He had got down to him, had made himself small and got down and revived him. He was a fine brother! And yet he got despondent. One thing this teaches, dear brethren, is that weakness is always with us. But it also teaches that if young people need old brethren to help them (and what a debt we owe to the older generation), there is also a side in which old brethren need young ones. I would like just to address a word especially to young ones, because what happened here was that Elijah had to go and
seek out a young one. He finds this young man Elisha ploughing and he casts his mantle on him. And then he goes on. It does not say that he asked him to follow him. It does not say that he said, ‘You had better start taking up your responsibility’. In a word, he left an impression.
I think he left an impression of himself. I suppose the mantle in a certain sense would represent himself. He left an impression on this young man, and then walked on.
I wonder what was in his heart. I have often wondered what was in his heart as he walked on.
He had done what he had been told to do; he had put his mantle on him. Then he had given the young man a test and said, “What have I done to thee?” He had left that with the young man—“What have I done to thee?”, he said. Then it appears that he had walked on. And it may be that he still felt despondent. Now comes the question as to what the young man would do. I think of Elijah, I suppose in the wilderness still. He had been through a period of depression. He had done what God had said to him and he is just walking on. But he hears someone coming after him. It must have affected him. Earlier he had heard the sound of the abundance of rain. What was he hearing now? I think he was hearing some footsteps coming after him.
Now that is a great matter for the older brethren in our localities, to hear the sound of footsteps following. They are not running ahead; it is the sound of feet that are following.
One of the Lord’s final words is that we are to follow—“Follow thou me”, John 21: 23. It must have been a great comfort to Elijah. He would wonder, ‘What is the sound?’ What was it? What did he detect in the locality? Did he hear the sound of running feet? Is there one young person whose committal
is evident by the sound of running feet? Or is there one, alas, whose feet are not running, not at the moment? Perhaps they have not altogether gone out of the way, but they are not running as they should. It is no end of a comfort to hear the sound of just one pair of running feet.
Now I wonder, dear young one, whether the brethren hear the sound of your feet following?
The older generation look round their localities. Maybe they think of how it has been. They think of the numbers that once were. They think of the room-fulls that once were. And they think of their own end being near. They look round to see if anyone is following. Is there anyone following? In your locality have the older brethren got cause to thank God that they can hear your running feet? I leave it with you. It is a great cheer, a great comfort. We owe much to those who have gone before. Most of us have come into a position that was ready-made for us through the faithfulness and the steady going on of a generation ahead. Now that generation may be passing. Have they cause for any comfort? Is there cause for any joy?
Well, dear brethren, I think there may be the sound of the abundance of rain, the latter rain that will fill up the crop, so that when the Lord comes there will be something that will just answer to His heart. And then may there also be in our localities, perhaps not running too fast yet, the sound of these running feet in young brothers and young sisters, for the Lord’s name’s sake.
Address at Villa Grove
25 December 1981