To Encourage You

James 5:17-18 “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.  Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.”

How often have you heard the statement, “My thoughts and prayers are with you”?  I assume lots of times.  Have you ever said this? If you have, what have you meant by it?  Do you mean that you really are praying, or is it just an expression of comfort that you’ve given to someone when you didn’t know what else to say or do?  I’ve seen lots of mocking statements on the internet about this statement, particularly when it’s stated by a political leader after an incident of gun violence.  Those who mock these words see them as a cop-out – nice sentiments in place of the actions like more stringent laws and enforcement of those laws.  Regardless, when such a statement is mocked, the mocking carries with it, at the very least, a large dose of skepticism regarding the good that can come from prayer.  

I’ve had some people give me a sort of chuckle when I’ve told them that I’m praying for them.  Apparently, they had such a low view of prayer that to think there’s any real value to it seemed a little bit funny.  So, how should a Christian think about prayer? If you are a Christian, what’s your view of it? How high is it on your priority list when you’re making your plans for the day? 

Well, in the passage above, James attempts to adjust our thinking a bit on this matter. Throughout his letter he’s been differentiating those who SAY they have faith from those who truly DO have faith as evidenced by their actions.  So here in Chapter 5 he’s showing us that the true believer in Jesus Christ should have an extremely high view of the discipline of prayer.  And that’s because the true Christian will have a very high view of God.  He or she will believe that God is able to do anything, and that His omnipotent power is the greatest power in all the universe. The believer knows that God can do things that man finds impossible. And because the believer knows that this powerful God has told us to call Him “Father,” we should know that we can go to Him as a father to ask for anything that such a Father can do.  

Elijah was like this. He was a common man. The Bible says he had “a nature like ours.”  As they say, he put his pants (or robe as it might be) on one leg at a time, just like you and I do.  He wasn’t a supernatural being.  The thing that set him apart was his great faith in God.  He actually believed the things that God said about Himself, including the fact that He is the one Who alone can stop and start the rain (Jeremiah 14:22).  And so Elijah prayed and asked Him if He would do just that. He asked Him if He would stop the rain for three entire years.  And why would he ask for such a thing?  It was because Elijah lived under the reign of King Ahab, who was one of Israel’s most wicked kings.  In 1 Kings 17 we have the incident of Elijah confronting Ahab with a warning of God’s judgment because of his wicked reign.  That judgment would come in the form of a drought – a very long one, a drought that would show all of Israel the great power of God. At the end of that period, Elijah mocked the wicked prophets of Baal.  He challenged them to pray to Baal to send fire from heaven to consume their sacrifices, and when they prayed, it was to no avail. Then Elijah prayed, but unlike these prophets, Elijah prayed to the only God who truly WAS.  And the result? The Lord answered Elijah’s prayer in a mighty display of His great power as He sent fire to consume Elijah’s sacrifice. Soon after that, Elijah told Ahab he would pray for rain. And when He did, God again answered.  It was all to show to Israel that God was the true God, and it all transpired in answer to Elijah’s prayers.  

So, do you believe God has such power? When you pray, do you do so with such faith in Him? Do you think He can do anything, and do you pray to Him as if you really think that is true? Like Elijah, do you pray that He will show Himself in powerful ways and reveal Himself to those who don’t currently believe in Him as well as to those who do?  Well, if not, James is telling us, in fact he’s urging us, to pray for God to do great things, those things that will bring Him great glory. It might be for the healing of ourselves or someone else. It might be for endurance through suffering of some type. It might be for a financial need. It might be for wisdom in a difficult challenge we are facing. It might be for an open door to share the gospel with a friend or family member and that God would save their souls. Whatever the case, we can go to Him, and we can go to Him as He really is, i.e., our omnipotent Father Who can do anything.  

But when we go, we also have this from James – “If any of you lacks wisdom (or anything else for that matter, for in Philippians 4:6 hasn’t God told us to pray about EVERYTHING?) let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:5-8).  

Thoughts and prayers: the first are a nice sentiment, the second a means to access the most powerful Being in heaven and earth. Don’t underestimate the power of the God Who made everything. Don’t make light of the great power that is available to any child of God who in simple trust turns to their great Father in prayer.