TEXT:
‘Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit’ (James 5:17-18)
Today’s Teaching focusses on prayer, a subject of interest to Christians who wonder, “How can I be more effective when praying?” There are three things I want to highlight from our text.
1. The Person – ‘Elijah was a man with a nature like ours [with the same physical, mental, and spiritual limitations and shortcomings]’ (James 5:17 AMP).
The previous verse says, ‘The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results’ (James 5:16 NLT). This statement can discourage us from praying, for we know only too well our personal weaknesses and failures. We need instead, to focus on the word “righteous”, as that will give us confidence to come boldly to the throne of grace. Righteousness that is not dependent on us to achieve, other than to believe what God has said is true, ‘For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him’ (2 Corinthians 5:21). God said it and we need to take it by faith.
Our text states, ‘Elijah was a man with a nature like ours’. Maybe no one will ever match the heights of Elijah, especially when he confronted the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel and saw fire come down from heaven in answer to his prayer. We can, however, identify more closely with his failings and fears, when he ended up on his own, on the run, heading for a different mountain! It’s not “proud man” that has compared us with Elijah, but God! He’s trying to show us He can use “imperfect people” to do His will and see miracles.
This is why we are encouraged not to look at ourselves, but to Jesus. He is in us and we are in Him! If God has said we can do it, perhaps we simply need a bit more courage like Gideon needed. If we could pray to God when we were a sinner, we can surely pray to Him as a saint, even if we have made a mess of things!
2. The Prayer
There are two parts to praying like Elijah did.
- There was a declaration – ‘And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.” …. Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” (1 Kings 17:1, 18:41)
Elijah made a bold declaration both times. Firstly, he said there would be no rain, then he said rain would come. Faith is not afraid to speak out, for Jesus taught, ‘He will have what he says’ (Mark 11:23). We see this truth when God created the world, ‘God said, “Let there be light” and there was light’ (Genesis 1:3). It thrilled Jesus when the Centurion grasped this truth by saying, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed’ (Matthew 8:8 AMP).
- There was intercession – ‘And he prayed earnestly that it would not rain … and he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain’
After faith speaks and declares, faith intercedes. Elijah told Ahab rain was on the way, then he interceded to ensure it came to pass.
3. The Persistence – ‘Elijah said to Ahab, “Up on your feet! Eat and drink—celebrate! Rain is on the way; I hear it coming.” Ahab did it: got up and ate and drank. Meanwhile, Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bowed deeply in prayer, his face between his knees. Then he said to his young servant, “On your feet now! Look toward the sea.” He went, looked, and reported back, “I don’t see a thing.” “Keep looking,” said Elijah, “seven times if necessary.” And sure enough, the seventh time he said, “Oh yes, a cloud! But very small, no bigger than someone’s hand, rising out of the sea.” “Quickly then, on your way. Tell Ahab, ‘Saddle up and get down from the mountain before the rain stops you.’” (1 Kings 18:41-44 MSG).
The need for persistence is surely part of the prayer process, but two questions can arise. First, if I have prayed in faith, and I pray again, is that unbelief? Second, if I have prayed once and nothing has happened, is it because it’s not God’s will? Unbelief can quickly step in to rob us.
The key thing to remember is Elijah, directed by God, made a declaration of faith and then interceded until it came to pass. He kept sending his servant to look until he saw something that convinced Elijah he had prevailed in prayer. A cloud, the size of a hand rising out of the sea, did not seem to be much in the servant’s eyes, but it was enough for Elijah, and the rain soon came!
Persistence pays off, as Jesus revealed when He taught the parable of the widow and the unjust judge. It was also true for Hannah, although it needed a slight change to her prayer to get the answer she wanted. Changes can come into our intercession that lines us up with God’s perfect will.
So to summarise; remember it’s not just about you, it’s about the Jesus in you. He justified you and made you righteous, so stay in line by faith. There are times when we need to make faith’s declaration and follow it up with intercession. Keep interceding until God gives you the sign the answer is on the way!
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