Prayer is the Key to God's Power
Where would you go if you had to get gas, lunch and a greeting card and you only had 30 minutes to do it? A few years ago, you would have been out of luck, but not any more. Today there are businesses all over that promise to have everything you need, when you need it, seven days a week. We live in a “one-stop” world. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong. It’s just is a fact of life. In California life happens fast or it doesn’t happen at all.
James 5:13-18 says, “Is any of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”
In this passage we gain deep insight into what makes prayer valuable; prayer is the key to power over sin and death. What we say changes the world we live in. Prayer transcends both the spiritual and physical. James sums this up with the statement, “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” Now that’s good news. Normal people like you and I can move mountains! We can see sick people healed! Look at Elijah. He prayed for rain to cease and three years later, not a drop had fallen. There’s no limit to the power that is available through prayer.
But before you go and start praying a new car into your driveway, let me point out some of the fine print. Look closely at what this passage says. It is the prayer of the righteous that is powerful. Selfish, sinful people can pray till they are blue in the face. They can yell, scream and stomp their feet, but no power will come their way. If you are going to see God’s power released through your prayer, you are going to have to take care of your motives first. In order to get results, you are going to have to get real with God. Righteousness literally means being in right standing with God or aligned with who He is and what He stands for. Chances are that new car is not God’s plan but yours.
Powerful prayer only follows right motives.
We could stop here but there’s one more important clue to effective prayer in this passage. James directs us back to the Old Testament Prophet, Elijah, to teach us that power comes not from the person who prays, but from the God who he prays to. God doesn’t show favorites. He’s just as likely to do a miracle through you as through Elijah. That’s encouraging. Elijah prayed “earnestly” and so can you. But what does that mean? Can we learn anything from the way Elijah prayed?
I Kings 18:42-45 tells the story of Elijah’s prayer for rain, “Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. ‘Go and look toward the sea,’ he told his servant. And he went up and looked. ‘There is nothing there,’ he said. Seven times Elijah said ‘Go back.’ The seventh time the servant reported, ‘A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.’ So Elijah said, Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’ Meanwhile the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel.”
Elijah was a righteous man. He prayed with his head between his knees. He prayed fervently and expectantly. But that’s not all. He prayed the same thing seven times. How many times would you have prayed before you gave up? I doubt I would have made it to seven. At about three or four I would have been tempted to say, “Well God, you know what my request is, so I’ll just leave it with You and You do what you think best.” Would Elijah have prayed 9 times? What about 12 or 20? You bet he would. Elijah demonstrates that the power of prayer is for those who not only pray for things, but those who pray through them.
Don’t just pray for it, pray through it.
James 5:13-18 says, “Is any of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”
In this passage we gain deep insight into what makes prayer valuable; prayer is the key to power over sin and death. What we say changes the world we live in. Prayer transcends both the spiritual and physical. James sums this up with the statement, “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” Now that’s good news. Normal people like you and I can move mountains! We can see sick people healed! Look at Elijah. He prayed for rain to cease and three years later, not a drop had fallen. There’s no limit to the power that is available through prayer.
But before you go and start praying a new car into your driveway, let me point out some of the fine print. Look closely at what this passage says. It is the prayer of the righteous that is powerful. Selfish, sinful people can pray till they are blue in the face. They can yell, scream and stomp their feet, but no power will come their way. If you are going to see God’s power released through your prayer, you are going to have to take care of your motives first. In order to get results, you are going to have to get real with God. Righteousness literally means being in right standing with God or aligned with who He is and what He stands for. Chances are that new car is not God’s plan but yours.
Powerful prayer only follows right motives.
We could stop here but there’s one more important clue to effective prayer in this passage. James directs us back to the Old Testament Prophet, Elijah, to teach us that power comes not from the person who prays, but from the God who he prays to. God doesn’t show favorites. He’s just as likely to do a miracle through you as through Elijah. That’s encouraging. Elijah prayed “earnestly” and so can you. But what does that mean? Can we learn anything from the way Elijah prayed?
I Kings 18:42-45 tells the story of Elijah’s prayer for rain, “Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. ‘Go and look toward the sea,’ he told his servant. And he went up and looked. ‘There is nothing there,’ he said. Seven times Elijah said ‘Go back.’ The seventh time the servant reported, ‘A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.’ So Elijah said, Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’ Meanwhile the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel.”
Elijah was a righteous man. He prayed with his head between his knees. He prayed fervently and expectantly. But that’s not all. He prayed the same thing seven times. How many times would you have prayed before you gave up? I doubt I would have made it to seven. At about three or four I would have been tempted to say, “Well God, you know what my request is, so I’ll just leave it with You and You do what you think best.” Would Elijah have prayed 9 times? What about 12 or 20? You bet he would. Elijah demonstrates that the power of prayer is for those who not only pray for things, but those who pray through them.
Don’t just pray for it, pray through it.
posted by pastordan at 10:21 AM
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