A Chariot Race

Have you ever watched a seed grow? Not the fast-forward version we see in science films, but the real thing. Days of seemingly nothing. Weeks of waiting. Months of wondering if anything is happening beneath that dark soil.

That’s how God works in us.

He plants seeds of destiny in the most unlikely soil – in people who seem nowhere near ready. Just ask Joseph, who went from dreaming of greatness to the bottom of a pit. Or David, anointed king while still smelling of sheep. Or Elijah, about to outrun a chariot in sandals.

Yes, you read that right. A man outran a chariot. But let’s not get ahead of our story.

Picture this: Three years of drought had turned the land to dust. Not a drop of rain in sight. The kind of drought that makes you forget what clouds look like. But Elijah? He heard rain. Not with his ears – there wasn’t a cloud in the sky – but with his spirit.

What do you do when God whispers promises that seem impossible? When He plants dreams bigger than your current reality? You do what Elijah did. You pray. You look. You wait. And you look again.

Six times Elijah sent his servant to look for clouds. Six times the answer came back: nothing. But Elijah knew something we often forget – God’s promises don’t depend on what we see in the natural world. They depend on His faithfulness.

Then came the seventh look. “A cloud as small as a man’s fist,” the servant reported.

That’s when Elijah did something remarkable. Looking at that tiny wisp of a cloud – barely bigger than his fist – he made a bold declaration: “Get ready! The rain is coming!” Not a sprinkle, not a shower, but a deluge.

Here’s the thing about faith declarations: they’re not just words thrown into the wind. They’re seeds planted in the soil of God’s promises. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue,” Solomon wrote. Your words can shape your reality, just as Peter’s declaration, “You are the Christ,” shaped his destiny.

But the story doesn’t end there. As the clouds gathered and the first drops fell, Elijah did something that seems, well, crazy. He ran. Not away from something, but toward something. He ran against a chariot – the ancient world’s equivalent of a sports car.

The distance? Twenty miles. The odds? Impossible. The result? Supernatural.

While King Ahab’s chariot thundered ahead, powered by the finest horses in the land, Elijah ran with power from another source. God’s power. The same power available to you and me when we face our own impossible races.

Maybe you’re staring at your own chariot today – that impossible situation that seems to have all the advantages. Your competition has resources you don’t have. Opportunities you can’t see. Strength you can’t match.

But remember this: speed can be measured, but God’s power cannot. Some trust in chariots, some in horses, but we? We trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Your destiny might seem as small as a fist-sized cloud right now. Your dreams might feel as impossible as outrunning a chariot. But God specializes in impossible races. He delights in taking ordinary people – people like you and me – and empowering them to do extraordinary things.

So what impossible race are you running today? What promise are you holding onto? What tiny cloud are you watching? Remember Elijah’s example:

Listen for God’s whispers
• Declare His promises
• Prepare for His provision
• Run your race with supernatural strength

The chariots of your circumstances may seem overwhelming, but when God is in the equation, supernatural acceleration is possible. Your job isn’t to figure out how – it’s to stay faithful, keep running, and trust the One who controls both the rain and the race.

After all, in God’s kingdom, the race isn’t always won by the one with the fastest chariot. Sometimes it’s won by the one with the strongest faith.