1 Kings 18:41-46

“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, NKJV)

Today we see the example of a great prayer that was answered in a mighty way. Elijah shared our humanity, and he prayed earnestly. He did not pray routinely or merely to say that he had prayed. He prayed intensely with a fixed objective in mind. He came to do business with God expecting a result, which is what he received. How can we imitate Elijah’s example?

Elijah prayed according to God’s word.
The LORD had told Elijah to go to Ahab, and He would send rain on the earth (1 Kings 18:1). Faith is necessary for effective prayer, and faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Elijah prayed according to God’s will, knowing that God would answer his prayer.

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” (1 John 5:14–15, NKJV)

Elijah prayed to glorify God.
The purpose of the contest on Mount Carmel was to prove to the people that Yahweh was God and not Baal. Baal was the Canaanite storm god. They worshiped Baal thinking that he would give them rain. Now the LORD must send rain to prove that He was the real God over storms and to glorify His name. Ahab, Jezebel and the people of Israel would have no excuse in worshiping Baal instead of Yahweh.

The LORD will always glorify His name in the earth and before people. I believe that He is waiting for opportunities to do this. If we would focus our prayers more on His glory rather than our wants, then we would see more of our prayers answered.

Elijah prayed persistently.
Elijah prayed seven times for God to send rain, and he didn’t quit until he saw a cloud begin to form over the Mediterranean Sea. What if Elijah quit after the sixth time, concluding that it must not be God’s will?

How many times do we pray for the same thing when it seems our prayer is not being answered? Jesus taught us to pray always and not lose heart (Luke 18:1-8). Then He asked two provocative questions.

“And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:7–8, NKJV)

May we learn from Elijah’s example and Christ’s encouragement to pray more often and more effectively. There is so much work to be done!