A Second Look
Sunday, June 28, 2026
Pastor Mark D. Boykin
Watch the full sermon in it’s entirety here:
Turn in your Bibles with me to 1 Kings 18:43, and then 1 Kings 19:7. My message today is simply entitled: A Second Look.
In 1 Kings 18, we see one of the most dramatic moments in Scripture. Elijah stands on Mount Carmel after a great battle between the prophets of Baal and the God of Israel. There were hundreds of false prophets—about 850 in total—crying out, cutting themselves, crying from morning until evening, saying, “O Baal, answer us.” But there was no answer.
And Elijah declares, “The God who answers by fire, He is God.”
From morning to evening, nothing happens. And then Elijah begins to mock them: “Cry louder—maybe your god is on vacation, or asleep.” But heaven is silent over idols. Then Elijah rebuilds the altar of the Lord. And I want to say this to you as clearly as I can: we don’t need more entertainment, we need rebuilt altars. Not more attractions, not more distractions—but an altar that belongs fully to God again.
And then Elijah does something unusual—he pours water over the sacrifice. Not a little water. Not a token amount. But enough to soak everything. Because when God moves, it won’t be mistaken for man.
And then he prays. And fire falls.
Fire consumes the sacrifice, the wood, and even licks up the water in the trench. And the people begin to cry out, “Jehovah, He is God! Jehovah, He is God!” What a moment.
But after the fire falls, Elijah turns to his servant in 1 Kings 18:43 and says, “Go up now and look toward the sea.” The servant goes up, looks, and comes back saying, “There is nothing.” And Elijah says, “Go again.” Seven times.
The seventh time, the servant finally says, “I see a cloud the size of a man’s hand.”
And I want you to hear this: the miracle didn’t begin when the cloud appeared. The miracle began when he went back the second time. Because the first time he saw nothing. And I feel like that’s where many people live spiritually. You prayed once. Looked once. Believed once. And saw nothing. So you stopped looking. But Elijah says, “Go again.”
Faith is not proven by what you see the first time—it’s revealed by whether you will look again.
Then we move into 1 Kings 19:7, where an angel of the Lord touches Elijah and says, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” And that is the word for somebody today: the journey is still ahead of you.
Now let me speak plainly as a pastor. Life has highs and lows. Joy and pain. Victory and disappointment. And I’ve learned this: failure is never final unless you quit. We live in a world that believes God only uses perfect people with perfect records. But if that were true, the Bible would be a very empty book.
God used Abraham—even in his fear. Moses—even in his excuses. Aaron—even in his compromise. David—even in his failure. Peter—even in his denial. Rahab—even in her past. The truth is this: God treasures His glory in broken vessels.
Sometimes the best of us fail. But failure does not cancel your future with God. I’ve seen it again and again—people who thought their story was over. People who were written off by others. But God specializes in second chances. That’s why Elijah says, “Go again.” Because the second look is where faith is formed.
Maybe you’ve prayed and nothing changed. Maybe you’ve looked at your situation and said, “It’s over.” But I came to tell you: look again.
There is a necessity of what I call the second life—the life that refuses to quit when things get hard. Jesus said, if someone compels you to go one mile, go with them two. That’s not natural. That’s grace. That’s kingdom living. The God we serve is not just the God of the first chance—He is the God of the second chance.
I think of stories in Scripture—John Mark who failed Paul on the first journey, but later became profitable for the ministry. Jonah, who ran from God, but got a second word from the Lord. Peter, who denied Jesus, but became a pillar in the early church. And if God can restore them, He can restore you. The only way you lose with God is if you stop going back.
Elijah said, “Go again.” Seven times.
And on the seventh time, there it was—a cloud the size of a man’s hand. Small, but enough to signal that rain was coming. That’s how God often works. Not always with sudden fullness, but with small signs that say, “Don’t stop now.”
So I want to challenge you today:
Don’t quit on your marriage.
Don’t quit on your children.
Don’t quit on your calling.
Don’t quit on your healing.
Don’t quit on your prayer.
Take a second look. The miracle is not just what God will do—it is what happens in you when you refuse to stop looking.I believe this with all my heart: the same God who sent fire on Carmel is the same God who still answers prayer today.
So look again. Pray again. Believe again. Trust again.
The cloud may look small—but it’s proof that rain is on the way.
Dear Lord,
Take away anxiety. Take away fear. Bring your blessing upon my lfe in the name of Jesus. I give all the praise, all the glory, and all the honor to the name of Jesus.
Amen.