Here’s a prophetic-style sermon manuscript based on 1 Kings 18:41-44, with the theme “The Rain is Coming.”
Title: The Rain is Coming
Text: 1 Kings 18:41-44
“The rain is coming!”
Church, I declare to you today, the rain is coming! I don’t care how long it has been dry in your life; I don’t care how long you’ve been waiting, how long you’ve been praying. God says, “The rain is coming!”
Let’s look at 1 Kings 18:41-44, where Elijah stands in the midst of a people worn out by drought. For three years, there has been no rain—nothing. The land is cracked and dry, but there, in the middle of this drought, Elijah has a word from the Lord. And that’s where everything begins—God’s Word.
1. The Power of God’s Word (v. 41)
“Then Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of abundance of rain.’”
Elijah speaks what God has spoken. Though the skies are clear and the ground is dusty, Elijah declares the impossible—the rain is coming.
I don’t know what drought you’re in today, but listen to me. You may not see a cloud, you may not feel a drop, but God is saying rain is on the way. You’ve been in lack, you’ve been in waiting, but I hear the sound of abundance!
Can you hear it? Can you hear the rain coming? I hear it in my spirit—the sound of revival, the sound of breakthrough, the sound of restoration! It may not look like it, but if God has spoken, then you can believe it! His promises are true, and they will not return void.
Some of you have received a word from the Lord, but you’ve been in a dry season. And now, you’re wondering, “God, where are you?!” But just like Elijah, you need to declare the promise even before you see it. Say it with me: “The rain is coming!”
2. Persistence in Prayer (v. 42-43)
“Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant, ‘Go up now, look toward the sea.’”
Even after Elijah declared the rain, he didn’t just sit back and wait. He went up to the mountain to pray. Elijah knew that God’s promises come through persistent prayer. Elijah got on his face before God, crying out, “Let it rain!”
And church, we need to get on our knees before the Lord. We need to pray, we need to intercede, we need to press in like never before! The rain is coming, but we must pray it down.
(With more urgency)
Look at Elijah! He sends his servant to look for rain. The servant comes back and says, “There’s nothing.” No sign, no cloud, no rain. But Elijah doesn’t stop! He sends the servant again. And again. Six times, the servant says, “There’s nothing.”
How many of us have prayed, and after the first time, we didn’t see anything, so we gave up? We stopped believing because we didn’t see results. But Elijah knew—sometimes, you’ve got to keep praying. You’ve got to keep going back, again and again, until you see what God promised.
(Firmly)
I don’t care if you’ve prayed once, twice, or even six times, and seen nothing—keep praying! Don’t stop at the sixth time. Go back again! Because the rain is coming!
3. The Promise Fulfilled (v. 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!’”
(Excitedly)
On the seventh time, the servant comes back and says, “I see a cloud! It’s small—just the size of a man’s hand—but it’s there!”
That’s all Elijah needed to hear. A small cloud, but he knew what was coming. Church, I want to tell you, the sign may start small—it may seem insignificant at first—but it’s a sign! That little cloud was enough to turn the whole sky dark with rain.
(Encouraging tone)
I don’t care how small the breakthrough seems—it’s a sign that the rain is coming. It may just be a little change, a little answer to prayer, a little shift in your life, but don’t despise small beginnings. That small cloud is going to open up the heavens, and rain is going to pour down on your life!
Conclusion:
Elijah said to Ahab, “Get ready, because the rain is coming!”
(Prophetic declaration)
And I say to you today, get ready! The rain is coming! Get ready for the breakthrough. Get ready for the revival. Get ready for the restoration. God’s rain is about to fall on your life, on your family, on this church. The dry season is over. The drought is breaking.
(With conviction)
The rain is coming! Will you pray it through? Will you declare it, even before you see it? Will you keep going back in faith, even when you don’t see a cloud? Because when that cloud appears, it’s going to pour. Get ready—the rain is coming!
(Close with a prayer for God to send His rain of blessing, revival, and breakthrough over the congregation)
Feel free to adjust the style or wording based on your personal flow!
