Thoughts for Life: #33 Elijah, An Ordinary Man Who Prayed Powerfully

Alvin Vandergriend- "Elijah was a man like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. (v. 18) Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." (James 5:17-18)

[Read the full story of Elijah's prayer victory in 1 Kings 17-18]. (Google image, Elijah praying)

When we meet a man of prayer like Elijah, it's tempting to think, "I could never pray like that." But James, in citing Elijah as an example of powerful prayer, dispels that kind of thinking with his comment that "Elijah was a man like us." James is saying that if Elijah, an ordinary person, could pray powerfully, so can we.

This is so because the power of prayer is not in the person or in the words of the prayer. All the power in prayer is God's power released through prayer. It was God who held back the rain for three and a half years, and it was God who caused the rain to return.

Yet prayer played a part. It was the prayers of Elijah that moved God's hands. This ordinary man prayed — and look what happened! God still acts in response to the prayers of ordinary people.

Sometimes the prayers of ordinary people are prayers of simple faith uttered quietly and confidently. That was the case as Elijah faced off with the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:16- 39). After the false prophets had implored their god Baal with shouts, dancing, bloodletting, and failed to get a response, Elijah stepped forward and simply prayed,

"O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hears back again."

With that simple prayer, fire fell from heaven and consumed Elijah's sacrifice and the wood and stones and even the water in a trench around his altar!

This is not to say that any feeble, superficial, halfhearted prayer will be powerful and effective. James also makes the point that Elijah "prayed earnestly." Earnest prayer gained the results. And that earnest prayer illustrated James's point that, in the words of J. B. Philips translation, "tremendous power is made available through a good man's earnest prayer."

The prayers of ordinary people also need to be persistent. In order to cause the rain to come again, Elijah went to the top of Mount Carmel and prayed persistently. Time after time he sent his servant to check the horizon for signs of a cloud that would be evidence of answered prayer.

Not until the seventh time, when the servant said he saw a cloud rising over the sea "as small as a man's hand," did Elijah stop praying and headed down the mountain.

Is there something that God wants to accomplish through your prayers? Why not ask Him — earnestly and persistently — and watch for the results.

(pp. 86, 87 in Love to Pray- 40 Day Devotional for Deepening Your Prayer Life by Alvin Vandergriend)

Let's pray-

Father, we have felt that we could not pray powerfully like some other "super Christians" we know, but as James tells us, that is not the truth. We are to believe that when You've given us a burden to pray, we must pray, trusting You to answer our earnest prayers.

We thank You for the power that makes powerful praying possible. Thank You, too, for hearing and answering the prayers of ordinary persons and making it possible for us to pray powerfully.

We ask that You cause our churches to grow stronger in prayer and become more effective in ministry. We are available to pray earnestly and persistently about anything that You lay on our hearts, even if it is major and climatic.

We pray this for the glory of our Savior, Jesus. Amen

Today's Bible verses-

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV) "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."

Quote for today-

~ S. D. Gordon- "Sacrifice is the continual law of life. The important thing must be sacrificed to the more important. One needs to cultivate a mature judgment, or his strength will be frizzled away in the less important details, and the greater thing go undone, or be done poorly with the fag-ends of strength. If we would become skilled intercessors, and know how to pray simply enough, we must take quiet time daily to get off alone." [p. 104 of QUIET TALKS ON PRAYER]

Our Ambassador to Israel, Michael David Evens' comments:

"Our faith is not static. As we exercise it through prayer and obedience, our faith grows, just as our physical muscles get stronger when we exercise."

Jude 1:20 & 21- "But ye, beloved building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."

Words of wisdom-

God's almighty power is always exercised on the behalf of His trusting children.

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