1st Kings 18:And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.
Afterwards, God exalts Elijah upon a pinnacle, and there he is in danger of succumbing to pride, as can be observed in his own words. Again, some persons wonder why Elijah had to pray only once for fire, but seven times for rain. And in our own experiences, we may wonder why at times God may answer our prayers immediately, whilst at other times we have to pray seven times. In many cases, the problem could be traced back to pride.
As Elijah stood upon Mt. Carmel God gave him the victory over the false worship which had infiltrated, and tainted almost everyone in Israel. It was a major overturning of Baal worship, and Jezebel, the priests and Ahab all suffered very humiliating defeats in the public square. Yet, it was by the power of God alone that victory was won, and thus, like so many before, Elijah has to be very careful lest it goes to his head, because pride could also affect righteous persons if they are not kept by the power of God at all times.
1st Kings 18: 42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, 43 And said to his servant, go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, there is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
1st Kings 18:44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down that the rain stop thee not.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!