“…The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” – James 5:16 (NIV)
What a powerful statement our Scripture verse is! It says the heartfelt (continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available. One may ask, who is a righteous man? That’s you who are saved! According to 2 Corinthians 5:21, God has made you righteous. The righteousness you have is the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the one Who knows no sin. Hallelujah!
Elijah is cited as an example of a righteous man whose prayer was effective. James 5:17 (NIV) says, “Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain on the land for three and a half years.” Because of the sins of the nation Elijah prayed that way. The nation had turned away from their God – Yahweh – and turned to the worship of Baal. So, Elijah prayed for a change, and one of the things he wanted was the absence of rain for three and a half years. This was to get the people’s attention (1 Kings 17).
When the people repented, the Bible says Elijah prayed again, and the heavens gave rain (1 Kings 18:39-46). We can make remarkable changes through prayers. Only believe.
Elijah’s prayer was a continuous one. He persisted until he saw results. That’s how you pray in order to cause changes. You don’t give up, you don’t give in. You persist until there’s a change.
Read: Luke 18:1; Ephesians 6:18
Bible Reading Guide: Proverbs 3:11-20; Matthew 19:16-30; Job 8; Job 9; Job 10
