04/29/2022
When was the last time we prayed for something and it did not happen? We asked the Lord if this was His will, and then we simply stopped praying when our prayer was met with silence. Sometimes we need to be more like Elijah when he asked for the rain to come again. When we tell this story it is easy to tell it like James did, by overlooking the fervency and frequency of Elijah’s prayer, and that he sent his servant to look towards the sea seven separate times. The first six times… “nothing”, and then on the seventh, a small cloud the size of a man’s hand. How will our story of prayer be told… will it be said that we went once and “nothing”, or, that on the seventh time it rained? What is our nature when we pray?
“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.”
James 5:17-18 ESV
This is a wonderful story of prayer that is not done justice if we simply overlook the full nature of Elijah’s prayer by telling that he covered his face, that he continued to pray when nothing appeared to be happening, that he didn’t send his servant to see if God was going to answer his prayer, no, he sent him to see if God had started working yet. Then, when only a tiny cloud appeared, he believed it completely, and that this was the beginning of God’s FULL answer to his prayer.
“So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” And he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go again,” seven times. And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’””
1 Kings 18:42-44 ESV
James said that Elijah had the same nature that we have, and this should be an encouragement to us. How do we pray that is similar to Elijah? Do we bow our head so that we don’t see? Do we kneel down and then bow our face to the ground? Do we simply close our eyes? Do we cover our faces with our hands? Or, do we put our face between our knees? What is our preferred position of prayer, and does it involve closing or covering our eyes? This has always been a mystery to me that most of us cover our eyes. I pray most fervently with closed eyes… how about you? Is this a sign of humility and of absolute trust that you employ when praying? Is it a means of separating ourselves from the distraction of the world, or focusing all of our attention on God alone? For whatever reason we do this, it brings us closer to God, and like Elijah we feel the hand of God on us.
“And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.”
1 Kings 18:45-46 ESV
Elijah was a great man of God, and he is mentioned in the gospel of Jesus several times. It is even said that Jesus was calling out to him from the cross…
“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.””
Matthew 27:46-47 ESV
So is it any wonder that Jesus separated Himself to pray, or that He prayed until He sweated blood? These are our greatest examples to follow in prayer… pray in the will of God, pray without worldly distraction, pray fervently, pray without ceasing (or regularly/ habitually), trust in God’s promise that He will answer us, and pray until God’s answer is received. This is the nature of Elijah, and the nature of Jesus, in prayer… is it ours too?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for hearing our prayers, and for laying you hand upon us as we bow and cover our eyes before you to offer them up. Thank you for the promise you have made to us regarding answering us as we pray, and for encouraging us to pray without ceasing, and with patient expectation. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who gives us such wonderful insight into our spiritual nature as we separate ourselves from the world in prayer. Praised be your name as we pray like Jesus, and Elijah. Help us to bring our prayers into ourselves and offer them to you in the privacy, and solitude, of our bodies, your temple. We close our eyes to the world, and hear only the shofars of heaven; we are holy, separated unto you, in this way. Wash us clean in the blood of Jesus as we come to you, and finally, on the day of judgement we pray with all our might that you will pronounce us worthy, and seat us at your eternal table of praise and worship, where we will dine with you forevermore.
“So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again.”
Matthew 26:44 ESV
Rich Forbes