Bible Reading
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.
James 5:17-18
James 5:17-18
Devotional
Once again, James turned his attention to a character in the Old Testament to make a point about a current spiritual concept. God's word is not ancient. God's word is eternal, which means it was timely and in season when it was written and it is still timely, in season, and full of wisdom today. There is no expiration date for spiritual truths and godly principles. There has been and will be no time in the future when God's word will fail or become irrelevant or untrue. This is the reason we continue to study God's word as well as the lives of the characters in it. The same problems will continue to come up again, the same demons oppose us, and the same wisdom can be used to live effective and impactful lives until the end of time.
James turns his attention from Job to the prophet Elijah to speak about the power of prayer. Did Elijah cause it not to rain? Was it his prayers that caused the rain to stop? No, it was the power of God, but the key here is that God listens to and acts on the prayers of his people. God listened to Elijah and he will listen to us as well because God never changes. We have the ability and position as children of God to sway the very heart of God. How amazing is that! This does not mean that we control God, have authority over him or that God is not Sovereign. It means that God listens and cares for us, as a father would his own child. What should this realization about the power of prayer mean in our own lives? For one, it means that the all-powerful creator of the universe is listening to us, yet so few of us are speaking to him, sharing our gratitude with him, or asking for anything. This passage comes right on the heels of the statement that the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective. James obviously had Elijah in mind when he made that statement. The Old Testament prophet was surely a righteous man in the eyes of God, so when Elijah poured his heart into a prayer, heaven took notice.
What would heaven say about you? Do you consider yourself a righteous person? What is preventing or standing in the way of you from living a Holy and righteous life? Is that even possible in the current day and age? Are your prayers able to be powerful and effective? The truth is that like Elijah, you are a child of God and you are just as valuable in God's eyes as any who went before you. Even the heroes of the faith. Nothing is preventing your prayers from being just as powerful and effective other than you yourself. You have not because you ask not, and when you ask your motivations are not in line with Gods. When your heart and mind are aligned with God, nothing is preventing your life from one day being remembered as a Godly and heroic life.
James turns his attention from Job to the prophet Elijah to speak about the power of prayer. Did Elijah cause it not to rain? Was it his prayers that caused the rain to stop? No, it was the power of God, but the key here is that God listens to and acts on the prayers of his people. God listened to Elijah and he will listen to us as well because God never changes. We have the ability and position as children of God to sway the very heart of God. How amazing is that! This does not mean that we control God, have authority over him or that God is not Sovereign. It means that God listens and cares for us, as a father would his own child. What should this realization about the power of prayer mean in our own lives? For one, it means that the all-powerful creator of the universe is listening to us, yet so few of us are speaking to him, sharing our gratitude with him, or asking for anything. This passage comes right on the heels of the statement that the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective. James obviously had Elijah in mind when he made that statement. The Old Testament prophet was surely a righteous man in the eyes of God, so when Elijah poured his heart into a prayer, heaven took notice.
What would heaven say about you? Do you consider yourself a righteous person? What is preventing or standing in the way of you from living a Holy and righteous life? Is that even possible in the current day and age? Are your prayers able to be powerful and effective? The truth is that like Elijah, you are a child of God and you are just as valuable in God's eyes as any who went before you. Even the heroes of the faith. Nothing is preventing your prayers from being just as powerful and effective other than you yourself. You have not because you ask not, and when you ask your motivations are not in line with Gods. When your heart and mind are aligned with God, nothing is preventing your life from one day being remembered as a Godly and heroic life.