He Prayed Again and the Sky Poured Rain and
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for i another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous human can accomplish much. 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 earth for 3 years and six months. So he prayed once again, and the sky poured rain and the globe produced its fruit.
~James 5:sixteen-18~
Prayer is a powerful strength.
Virtually the end of the volume of James, Elijah is presented every bit an example of effective prayer. (If you are unfamiliar with Elijah, I highly suggest reading 1 Kings 17-19 to get a good background on Him. God performed amazing miracles through Elijah in gild to remind the Israelites that there is merely one God.) In that location are plenty of examples in the scriptures of constructive prayer, simply James chose Elijah.
"Elijah was a man with a nature similar ours…"
What does that mean?
Although Elijah was a great prophet and performed bang-up miracles, he was nevertheless human being. He was decumbent to weakness, despair and anger merely as we are. Our prayers to God are just as valuable as Elijah's. We can pray effectively, simply as Elijah did and God volition respond. We don't have to exist a great prophet, a well-known orator, a church leader or anyone recognized by people as having great importance. If we take become a child of God through baptism, He has made us righteous and we are important to Him. We can pray to great effect.
ane Kings 18 which details the incident existence referenced by James:
"At present Elijah said to Ahab, "Get up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower."… Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he crouched down on the globe and put his confront betwixt his knees. He said to his servant, "Get upward at present, look toward the sea." So he went upwardly and looked and said, "In that location is aught." And he said, "Become back" seven times.
Information technology came nearly at the seventh fourth dimension, that he said, "Behold, a cloud every bit pocket-size every bit a homo's hand is coming upward from the sea." And he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot and go downward, then that the heavy shower does not end you.'" In a little while the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and in that location was a heavy shower."
~1 Kings 18:41-45 NASB
I desire you lot to find a few elements present in this passage. Start, Elijah prayed seven times and each time had his retainer check to meet if the rain was on its mode. He didn't stop request for rain after the third prayer.
Or the fourth.
Or the fifth.
He prayed repeatedly until he saw results.
Another important bespeak: Elijah had confidence the Lord was going to send the rain. He told Ahab rain was coming and and so started praying. Tertiary, he kept looking for the results.
This passage points to three key element to effective prayer:
1) Keep asking.
2) Keep watching.
3) Proceed trusting.
ane) Keep Asking. Persistence pays off.
Elijah prayed 7 times for the pelting. He was persistent.
Jesus also encouraged persistent prayer.
"And he told them a parable to the event that they ought always to pray and not lose center. He said, "In a certain metropolis there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected human being. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.' For a while he refused, but afterwards he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect human being, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, then that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'" And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him solar day and nighttime? Will he delay long over them? (Luke eighteen:i-vii ESV, emphasis mine)
Jesus shows that if persistence tin can be effective on an uncaring homo, how much more with God!
Marvelous things can happen through persistent, purposeful prayer.
ii) Go on Watching.
When we pray for our needs, we are usually looking for the answer to come. Do we practise the same watchfulness when we pray for others? I have, to my shame, prayed for people and so forgotten that I prayed or simply failed to follow upwardly with them to see how they were doing. The truth of the matter is we may not get to see the results, just nosotros will most certainly see fail to witness ANY results if we don't follow upwards with the people we are praying for.
This leads u.s.a. to the next point…
three) Keep Trusting.
God is faithful to His promises. Elijah had conviction that God would answer his prayer. Jesus encourages us to have confidence. He doesn't want u.s. to lose heart. If you lot are having trouble trusting in God to answer your prayer, beginning digging in the word. If you demand some management on where to look, please check out this series of posts on faithfulness.
If we don't have conviction in prayer, then why are we request? If nosotros don't trust God to do what's best for usa, why are we following Him?
The Word is full of assurance that God will answer our prayers.
Consider:
Now this is the confidence that we accept in Him, that if we inquire anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever nosotros enquire, we know that we have the petitions that nosotros accept asked of Him.
~I John 5:xiv-15 NKJV
as well:
"So I say to you lot, enquire, and it will exist given to you; seek, and yous will notice; knock, and information technology will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it volition be opened.
~ Luke eleven:ix-ten NASB
This week I want to encourage you to try something new. (If yous are already doing something similar, keep on keepin' on!)
Observe one to two people that have a specific need for which they accept requested prayer. Write downwardly their name(s) and their specific consequence or demand. Put this in a place where you pray regularly. Pray for them at to the lowest degree one time a solar day in your prayers, laying out the issue before the Lord. After a week, telephone call the person/people and see how they are doing. If y'all experience a calendar week is as well presently, arrive two weeks, but set a date. Write it on your calendar, set an alarm, do something to remind yourself to telephone call, text or just make fourth dimension to be with that person to see how things are going with regard to your prayers on their behalf.
Pray and don't lose heart!
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Source: https://elihuscorner.com/2015/03/29/the-effective-prayer/
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