“he said, ‘Go again seven times’ ” [I Kings 18:43]

“he said, ‘Go again seven times’ “. The confrontation Elijah had with the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel is well known. When these prophets had been slain, Elijah received the assurance that the nation-wide drought was to end. He told his servant lad to go and look out for a cloud in the sky, indicating that rain was on its way. When the lad reported nothing, Elijah told him to go and look again seven times.
We are not told whether he said ‘seven times’ at the beginning or time and again until the seventh time – what matters is he kept going until a cloud was seen. Too many of us stop after the first attempt – whether in intercession, seeking to win a soul for the Lord, overcoming a particular obstacle or difficulty or whatever. When you don’t succeed in what God has promised at the first attempt, ‘Go again’.