Praying Powerful Prayers
16. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
17. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
18. Again, he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
The Need for Powerful Prayers
There is no doubt that the people of God need to exercise the gift of prayer. The needs are enormous. The times are treacherous. People are facing dire circumstances that will destroy them unless there is some relief. Yes, there is a need for powerful prayer. While many are looking to the powers that be, we need to acknowledge that these problems are beyond the power of humans. The Scripture says, with mankind, these things are impossible … but with God, all things are possible. We have discovered the part that says “with man these things are impossible. Now, the need is to discover “with God, all things are possible.” We have discovered how weak we are; now, we need to discover how powerful God is. We have discovered brokenness, failure, death, and destruction; now there is a need to discover God’s healing, God’s wholeness, God’s mending, and God’s goodness. This points to the need for powerful prayers. Yes, powerful prayers are needed to find that the Balm is not in Gilead, but in God. Powerful prayers are needed to conquer the doubts and fears of our own minds that have left us weary and confused. Powerful prayers are needed to bridge the gap between devastation and Divine Grace. Yes, we need powerful prayers.
Just how are we to pray powerful prayers? To start with, do we really know what it means to pray with power? Please note a couple of things about prayer that we don’t often think about. First, prayer is a gift of communication given to the people of God from God. God gave the gift in order that His people would have a means of connecting with Him, not just for needs but also for fellowship. Mark 1:35, tells of Jesus removing Himself and finding a solitary place where He prayed. The fact that Jesus prayed is a clear mandate that all of God’s people need to pray.
Not only is prayer the gift of communication, but it is also the means of seeking God’s will on earth. Jesus taught us, “pray Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Matthew 6:10. What a wonderful world we will experience when God’s will is implemented on earth. O yes, His will is going to be implemented and that is why we should pray for it to happen. Can you imagine the peace and joy that would prevail when that day comes?
There is a third element of prayer that needs to be explored. Prayer becomes our means of revelation. Prayer is communicating with God. Prayer is the means of implementing God’s will on earth. Prayer is also the means of revelation. When we pray, God’s Truth becomes real through the Holy Spirit. When we pray, we are ushered into a place where God’s Word speaks to us directly and with power. Through prayer, Abraham received insight into the promises of God. Through prayer, Moses learned God’s Law and the pattern of things for worship under the Law. Through prayer, Joshua learned that the ‘Sun could stand still in the heavens, and the moon would keep its place’ until the battle was won. Through prayer, Elijah learned that the meteorological forces could be manipulated that there would be no rain upon the earth. Elijah learned God’s plan through prayer.
Elijah’s Powerful Prayers
So, is it the person who prays or the prayer itself that makes the difference? I am convinced it is God’s gift of prayer that makes the difference. The Apostle James could have selected other great Bible characters, but instead he chose Elijah. It is noteworthy that James introduces Elijah as a human, like us. This reference reminds us that Elijah was not a super spiritual being as we often suppose. He faced the same human frailties, the same human needs, and yes, the same sin as we do. Elijah was a human being, even as we are … (and/or/but) He prayed earnestly.
What does James tell us about Elijah the person and Elijah the person of prayer? I think there are some wonderful findings and some troubling ones. First, it troubles me that Elijah was like you and me. He faced fears. He got depressed, just like you and I. He allowed the fear of others to force him into retreat. Elijah had some great qualities also, remember when he stood up to the Baal worshippers on Mount Carmel? What a sight as the man of God stood against the Baal prophets and the prophets of the groves. Yet, we find that Elijah’s strength was found through prayer. After the courageous stand on Mount Carmel, Elijah sank into depression and loneliness at the threat of Jezebel. Here was the same Elijah that stood up against a multitude, and when faced with the threat of one person, he got weak. Yes, Elijah was like us in many ways and yet he triumphed through prayer.
The Apostle James wrote his letter to people who faced many fears and uncertainties and yet he wanted to demonstrate how faith worked. In his closing remarks, he brings up the topic of prayer to illustrate that prayer and faith go hand in hand. Both are gifts from God. Both are to be applied or otherwise they have no power in the believer’s life. So, rather than select Abraham or Moses or even Daniel, the Apostle James was led by the Holy Spirit to use Elijah. This man could go from weak to strong in God in a matter of seconds through the gift of prayer. It is not that Elijah directed the prayer, but to contrary, prayer directed Elijah.
Before you run off and start praying to change the weather you need to understand a couple of more things about powerful prayers. All powerful prayers come as a direct prompting of the Holy Spirit. In other words, prayers are not produced out of panic but the perfect plan of the Holy Spirit. I admit, I have prayed panic prayers. There have been times that my prayers were led by my emotions. Did they get results? Sometimes they got results, but in those moments, it was because of the deep dependence upon God that prompted the Holy Spirit’s power. Remember, prayer is not about us holding on, but about letting go and asking God to take over. Elijah was a human being, even as we are … He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
While the emotional challenges may drive us to our knees it does not need to drive us out of our minds because we have prayer. Challenges come to invoke our faith. That is why James writes in his opening statements, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations, knowing the trial of your faith works patience … but let patience have its perfect work (or complete its work of development). That faith, if followed, will lead us to prayer. Prayer that is prompted by the Holy Spirit, always brings results. That is why Elijah was selected as this incredible prayer example because he could get emotional but when he did, he reverted to prayer.
In upcoming studies, we will explore several more powerful prayer examples from the life of Elijah. For now, let us look at some practical points for our own prayer life.
If Elijah could make an incredible request and get weather results, so can you. It is amazing that God did not restrict powerful praying to Elijah. This verse can be taken as an invitation to pray powerful prayers. That is why James wrote to the Christians and used this human named Elijah to invite every believer to pray powerful prayers. Are we afraid to ask God for great things? Why? Do we doubt that God is able, or do we assume that God is not willing? I believe for my own life; the latter is true. I don’t pray powerful prayer, not because God is not able, but because I don’t think God will listen to me and grant the prayer request. In this case, there is a sin issue at the place of my prayer.
While we have this awesome invitation to pray powerful prayers, we are often hindered by weakness. This weakness comes from the knowledge of sin. Even though believers are forgiven, they carry around this attitude of unworthiness. Why is that? It goes back to sin and the indelible mark that it leaves on our mind. James gives a solution. Confess your sin to each other and pray for each other, that you may be healed. To deal with the sin weakness, pray for each other. Don’t stop praying because there is the consciousness of sin: pray about the sin. When God heals us, this means having a sound mind and ready heart. Guess what, your prayer will be led by the Holy Spirit and not your human record. Don’t let sin’s remembrance block you from calling on God.
Weakness caused by the remembrance of sin should not stop us from praying powerful prayers because God has conquered our sin. The fact that God is prompting us to pray powerful prayers should inspire us to pour out our heart before God. There is one other factor that is implied in this text although not specified. God not only welcomes your prayer but will respond to every prayers prayed. You will never have to worry over whether or not your prayer will be heard. God always answers the prayers of His people. He delights in us and longs to give us the treasures of His Kingdom. If it worked for Elijah, who was just like us, it will work for every believer in Christ. By the way, when you pray, always use the Name of Jesus. It is guaranteed to get the best results. Remember also, our prayer goal may not be for rain, but to make it right with God. Pray, pray, pray.