Elijah
Was As Human As We Are,
And
Yet When He Prayed Earnestly That No Rain Would Fall,
None
Fell For Three And A Half Years!
James
5
13 Are
any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you
happy? You should sing praises.
14 Are any
of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and
pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.
15 Such a
prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make
you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.
16 Confess
your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be
healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and
produces wonderful results.
17 Elijah
was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain
would fall, none fell for three and a half years!
Observation
The
Bible says, “the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great
power and produces wonderful results”. You and I, if we put God
first in our lives, fit the description of a righteous person that
our Bible is talking about.
It
doesn't mean that we are perfect, Elijah was as human as we are, but
look what happened when he prayed! The Bible says that when we are
living in a right relationship with God that our prayers are
powerful!
God
loves to answer the prayers of His children when they are walking in
obedience!
So
let me ask you, “Are you walking in obedience right now?” Is
there un-confessed sin in your life? Are there secret sins that you
are unable or unwilling to stop?
If
so, let this be your prayer today: “Search me,
O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path
of everlasting life.” Psalm 139:23-24
In
just a few minutes Kathy and I will be going to the graveside service
of someone very special to us. Eloise King loved the Lord. She was a
long time member of our church.
She
lived to the “ripe old age” of 97.
Eloise
and her husband Warner served for many years taking care of the Tampa
Bay Baptist Assembly Grounds, now known as the Tampa Bay Baptist
Conference Center. She was a great cook. She made the best wedding
cakes!
Eloise
went on several mission trips to Mexico with us, first when she was
probably in her 70's and then again in her 80's!
Eloise
never acted like an “old person”. What do I mean by that … I
mean that she refused to gripe or complain like most of us old folks
do - no matter what changes we made at our church, no matter how much
she suffered during the time that she was bedridden, she did not
complain.
Eloise
loved to see lives changed. She was a walking Bible. She was a great
Bible teacher. She knew the Word of God and she lived it. As her
pastor I was glad that I had her support and I was very glad that I
had her praying for me.
Eloise,
would be the first to tell you that she was not perfect, but I know
that she is one of those that James described in James 5:16 when he
said, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and
produces wonderful results.”
2
Timothy 4:6-8
6 As
for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God.
The time of my death is near.
8 And
now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the
prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his
appearing.
Application
I
want to live my life in a way that will allow people to talk about me
when I die like I just did about my friend Eloise King. How about
you?
Prayer
Heavenly
Father, help me to live out my life in a close relationship with You.
I know that as I put You first in my life You will take care of me.
It is Your promise and You keep every promise that You make.
I
pray today for any person that may read this blog. Help them to be a
righteous person. Help them to strive to live a godly life. Give them
the strength and the courage to stay away from sin. Show them that
they can trust You with every detail of his or her life. Bless them
Lord as they put You first!
Daily
Bible Reading: 2 Kings 18,19; 2 Chronicles 32; James 5
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