"Again and again Elijah sent his servant to a point overlooking the Mediterranean, to learn whether there were any visible token that God had heard his prayer. Each time the servant returned with the word, “There is nothing.” The prophet did not become impatient or lose faith, but continued his earnest pleading. Six times the servant returned with the word that there was no sign of rain in the brassy heavens. Undaunted, Elijah sent him forth once more; and this time the servant returned with the word, “Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea like a man's hand.” PK 156.1"
"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."
The EGW passage is a clear retelling of the events in 1 Kings 18:43, where Elijah repeatedly sends his servant to look for rain. The phrase "There is nothing" and the eventual appearance of "a little cloud out of the sea like a man's hand" are directly taken from the biblical account.
"This was enough. Elijah did not wait for the heavens to gather blackness. In that small cloud he beheld by faith an abundance of rain; and he acted in harmony with his faith, sending his servant quickly to Ahab with the message, “Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.” PK 156.2"
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
The EGW passage describes Elijah acting on faith based on a small sign, which aligns with the concept of faith as "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" in Hebrews 11:1. The connection is thematic, focusing on the nature of faith and its role in acting on unseen realities.
"It was because Elijah was a man of large faith that God could use him in this grave crisis in the history of Israel. As he prayed, his faith reached out and grasped the promises of Heaven, and he persevered in prayer until his petitions were answered. He did not wait for the full evidence that God had heard him, but was willing to venture all on the slightest token of divine favor. And yet what he was enabled to do under God, all may do in their sphere of activity in God's service; for of the prophet from the mountains of Gilead it is written: “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.” James 5:17 . PK 156.3"
"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."
The EGW passage discusses the importance of faith in prayer, directly echoing the principle outlined in Hebrews 11:6 that faith is necessary to please God and receive rewards from Him.
"Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months."
The EGW passage directly quotes James 5:17 and uses it to support the idea that ordinary people can achieve great things through faith and prayer, just as Elijah did. This is a clear and direct reference.