Ministering: Pastor Shola Awobajo (Senior Pastor).
Text: 1 Kings 18:30-41.
” 30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: 32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. 34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. 35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. 36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God. 40 And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there. 41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.”
There are all kinds of sounds in the world today (sounds of loud music, wars, sporting events, etc.) – but only from The Lord can a “Joyful Sound” come to any man. The greatest joyful sound on earth is in Acts 2:1-4 – the arrival of The Holy Spirit on Earth to fill the Disciples. A long-awaited promise and prophesy coming to past.
What is a Joyful Sound?
1. A Joyful Sound is when what has been anticipated arrives. For example, a barren woman testing positive for pregnancy, a jobless receiving an appointment letter.
2. A Joyful Sound is the sound of answered prayers. Hannah in 1 Sam. 2:1-4.
3. A Joyful Sound is a sound of Victory. The Walls of Jericho crumbling before the Children of Israel – Jos. 6
4. A Joyful Sound is the sound of Revival. Ps. 51:8
5. A Joyful Sound is a sound of Celebration. E.g. the sound of Jubilee or Liberation – Lev. 25:9-10
Our above Text is an account of a mighty miracle God performed through Elijah that caused Israel to repent of paganism and turned their hearts back to God. After all the prophets of Baal were killed, Elijah told King Ahab that there is a sound of abundance of rain from Heaven. Though Elijah heard the sound of abundance of rain yet there was no cloud in Heaven; so the man of God went on his knees in Prayers until the joyful sound turned into abundance of rain. You may have received a Word of Joyful Sound from The Lord, I counsel you to persist in the place of Prayer.
To receive a Joyful Sound from Heaven, the following Altars must be repaired in your life:
1. The Altar of Giving Yourself Sacrificially unto The Lord – Exod. 23:25
2. The Altar of Your Priority needs to be put in order – Matt. 6:24
3. The Altar of Double-Mindedness. James 1:6-8
4. The Altar of Your Faith. Heb. 11:1-6
5. The Altar of Your Relationship with God. Gen. 17:1
6. The Altar of Purity.
7. The Altar of Your Profession of Faith (confessing The Word of God over your life continually).
8. The Altar of Your Prayer Life. Luke 18:1
In closing, by The Resurrection of Christ, a life of Joyful Sounds is your portion in Christ Jesus but all broken down altars must be repaired for that Joyful Sound to turn to an abundance of Rain! Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance. Ps. 89:15
God Bless You!
Leave a Reply