Bible : James 5:17-18 Theme : The Prayer of Elijah (17) 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. (18) Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. The prayer of the righteous believer is both powerful and effective. These two terms in v. 16, powerful and effective, have overlapping meaning, together connoting the potency of prayer to accomplish the purposes of God. (NIV) The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. In Greek, they are both verbs. We can also translate as follows: The prayer of a righteous person, being effective, can do much. Therefore, we can understand the word powerful also means to be able to do much! 1. The Prophet Elijah with His Power And Effective Faith Is the Final Exemplar of Faith in Jamess Epistle. Elijah was a man just like us. means that he was a man with the same nature like us, as in having the same circumstances, feelings, and experiences in life. Of course, there are many ways in which Elijahs experiences are also very different from those of other believers. The form of prayer James encouraged, praying over the sick(v. 14), was used by Elijah for the healing of the son of the Zarephath woman. Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. She said to Elijah, What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son? Give me your son, Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. Then he cried out to the LORD, O LORD my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die? Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the LORD, O LORD my God, let this boys life return to him! The LORD heard Elijahs cry, and the boys life returned to him, and he lived. Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, Look, your son is alive! Then the woman said to Elijah, Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth. (1 Kings 17:17-24) The great advantage and efficacy of prayer are declared and proved: The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much, whether he pray for himself or for others: witness the example of Elijah. He who prays must be a righteous man; not righteous in an absolute sense, but righteous in a gospel sense; not loving nor approving of any iniquity. I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me! (Psalms 66:17-20) Further, the prayer itself must be a fervent, in-wrought, well-wrought prayer. It must be a pouring out of the heart to God; and it must proceed from a faith unfeigned. Such prayer avails much. It is of great advantage to ourselves, it may be very beneficial to our friends, and we are assured of its being acceptable to God. It is good having those for friends whose prayers are available in the sight of God. Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:19-24) The power of prayer is here proved from the success of Elijah. This may be encouraging to us even in common cases, if we consider that Elijah was a man of like passions with us. He was a zealous good man and a very great man, but he had his infirmities, and was subject to disorder in his passions as well as others. In prayer we must not look to the merit of man, but to the grace of God. Only in this we should copy after Elijah, that he prayed earnestly, or, as it is in the original, in prayer he prayed. It is not enough to say a prayer, but we must pray in prayer. Our thoughts must be fixed, our desires firm and ardent, and our graces in exercise; and, when we thus pray in prayer, we shall speed in prayer. Elijah prayed that it might not rain; and God heard him in his pleading against an idolatrous persecuting country, so that it rained not on the earth for the space of three years and six months. Again he prayed, and the heaven gave rain. Thus you see prayer is the key which opens and shuts heaven. To this there is an allusion, Revelation 11:6, where the two witnesses are said to have power to shut heaven, that it rain not. This instance of the extraordinary efficacy of prayer is recorded for encouragement even to ordinary Christians to be instant and earnest in prayer. And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want. Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth. (Revelation 11:3-10) God never says to any of the seed of Jacob, Seek my face in vain. If Elijah by prayer could do such great and wonderful things, surely the prayers of no righteous man shall return void. Where there may not be so much of a miracle in God’s answering our prayers, yet there may be as much of grace. 2. Heaven Is Personified by the Attribution of Divine Action! Heaven as an indirect way of referring to God is a common form of expression in biblical writings. God is always the giver of that which is good, of grace, and even of trial that is meant to convert the sinner and the sinful people of God. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17) But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6) God will not answer prayers to a false god, but only the prayers of those who pray faithfully according to His word that saves and heals. Elijahs prayer moved heaven, because heaven had been moving Elijah! And Elijah said to Ahab, Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain. So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but 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 mans 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. The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel. Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them. Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a days journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. I have had enough, LORD, he said. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors. (1 Kings 18:41-19:4) The example of Elijah illustrates everything about Jamess plea for a faith that rejects worldly standards of judgment in favor of divine standards. Human beings are not the masters of their own fate, and faith cannot be mixed with delusions of human autonomy, as the double-minded among Jamess hearers had attempted. Believers must cultivate their truth in the Word of God and do what it says! In spite of deep personal or corporate struggle and strong opposition, as in the case of Elijah, WE must persevere in faith! James viewed Elijah as exemplifying any righteous believer whose prayer is heard by God. This prophet of God was given wisdom, not only to endure his trials, but also to mediate the word of God to his generation. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. (James 1:4-5) Elijah knew the will of God concerning the signs of drought and rain; this knowledge was why he prayed so fervently. By applying Scripture believers can know and should do the will of God through their own fervent praying, whether it be a matter of planning their business affairs, persevering through suffering, searching for healing, or asking for forgiveness of sin. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirits fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. Brothers, pray for us. Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (1 Thessalonians 5:11-28)
Posted on: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 16:03:12 +0000
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