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James 5:17-18
James 5:17-18
“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” You know those words; they’re found in James 5:16 and James illustrates this statement with Elijah. He says this: “Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.”
James is telling us that Elijah is an example of effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man. Not a perfect man! Now Elijah made some mistakes, he got a little bit angry with God, he wanted God to kill him, he was not a perfect man but he was a righteous man and he knew how to pray. James tells us Elijah was a man subject to like passion such as we are. We sometimes read the biographies of great heroes of the faith and we say, “Oh, I could never pray like this man, I could never be godly like that man.” And perhaps we are excusing ourselves too much. However James is saying, “Look, Elijah was a human being just like everybody else. He was a man of like nature as you are!”
The difference in his life was that he prayed and he prayed again. Too often I have prayed but I have not prayed again. Elijah was the kind of a person who prayed and his prayers accomplished something. You see Elijah was walking with the Lord. God said to Elijah, “It’s not going to rain” and Elijah prayed and the rain was turned off. God said, “It shall rain” and Elijah prayed and God sent the rain, because of the Word of God and prayer go together. Elijah’s prayers were geared to the Word and the will of God. “If you abide in me, [said Jesus] and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7).
You may not think your praying is accomplishing much; in fact, you may not think that you are even worthy to pray! But if your heart is right with God, if your prayer is fervent, if you and I are effectually praying with fervency and we pray again and again, God is going to answer and God is going to send the blessing and God is going to give the harvest.
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By Back to the BibleJames 5:17-18
“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” You know those words; they’re found in James 5:16 and James illustrates this statement with Elijah. He says this: “Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.”
James is telling us that Elijah is an example of effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man. Not a perfect man! Now Elijah made some mistakes, he got a little bit angry with God, he wanted God to kill him, he was not a perfect man but he was a righteous man and he knew how to pray. James tells us Elijah was a man subject to like passion such as we are. We sometimes read the biographies of great heroes of the faith and we say, “Oh, I could never pray like this man, I could never be godly like that man.” And perhaps we are excusing ourselves too much. However James is saying, “Look, Elijah was a human being just like everybody else. He was a man of like nature as you are!”
The difference in his life was that he prayed and he prayed again. Too often I have prayed but I have not prayed again. Elijah was the kind of a person who prayed and his prayers accomplished something. You see Elijah was walking with the Lord. God said to Elijah, “It’s not going to rain” and Elijah prayed and the rain was turned off. God said, “It shall rain” and Elijah prayed and God sent the rain, because of the Word of God and prayer go together. Elijah’s prayers were geared to the Word and the will of God. “If you abide in me, [said Jesus] and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7).
You may not think your praying is accomplishing much; in fact, you may not think that you are even worthy to pray! But if your heart is right with God, if your prayer is fervent, if you and I are effectually praying with fervency and we pray again and again, God is going to answer and God is going to send the blessing and God is going to give the harvest.