James 5:16-18

Last evening we had our area home fellowship and we studied on "Elijah being a man just like us". We shared a lot about Elijah's faith and persistance in prayer and how we can learn from him.

Following is what a brother shared further on his thoughts on the subject which I think is good material to share with all my readers. Read on...

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. In other words, he was a human being , with the same physical weaknesses as ourselves.

How was he with a nature like ours?

a) He needed food and drink to be strengthened.

After Elijah told Ahab that there would be no dew and rain, God sent him to Brook Cherith to drink from it and to be fed by ravens. When Brook Chrith dried up, God directed Elijah to the widow at Zarephath so that he could continue to live with food and drink. After he executed the prophets of Baal and Jezebel was after his life, he went to the wilderness and God provided him with a cake baked on coals and a jar of water. With these 2 meals, he was able to travel 40 days and 40 nights to the mountain of God. So with regards to the food and drink needed by the body, he has the same nature as us.

b) He was forgetful in a moment of difficulty

Elijah seemed to have forgotten about the miracles which God performed through him when he ran away from Jezebel. His food delivered by the ravens, the inexhaustible supply of flour and oil at Zarephath, the revival of the widow’s son, the contest at Mount Carmel and the control over the discharge of rain would be reason for him not to be so anxious over his life. He could have inquired of the Lord, like he did when he cried out to the Lord to revive the widow’s son. However, perhaps at the moment of panic, he could not stop to ask God for directions. Instead, he prayed for death when he was in the wilderness. Similarly, we have received much grace from God. The best gift which He has given is the Holy Spirit, and along with this, the plentiful blessings and His protection in our lives. All these are good evidences that He is in control and we should be anxious over nothing. However, in the face of a situation which is seemingly too difficult to overcome, all the memories of past deliverance are erased. We do not know how to rely on God and carry out what we deem fit, like Elijah running for his life. So in this sense, Elijah had the same nature as us.

c) He wanted a way out of difficulty

Elijah prayed for death when the going was tough. He was already a day’s journey into the wilderness and he was alone, for he had left his servant in Beersheba. There was not even a single soul around to give him support. Besides, Jezebel was after his life and there seemed to be no opportunity for him to turn back to continue God’s work. All these will present a good justification in asking God for a death request because he has arrived at a dead end. In this case, Elijah has the same nature as someone with a terminal illness. In one of the facebook blog, a sister lamented over her father’s request to God to end his life and she was at a lost on how to advise her father. I mean since it is a terminal illness and death is inevitable, wouldn’t it be justified to ask for death? We could also see that Elijah asked for death in an imperative way. He said, “Take my life..” without consideration for the sovereign choice of God. Was his death at that instant in accordance to God’s will? If we were to read beyond the earlier portion of chapter 19, the answer is no. For God needed Elijah to anoint Hazael as king over Syria, Jehu to be king over Israel and Elisha to take over his place as the prophet. Later on, Elijah was involved in pronouncing judgment on Ahab in the matter concerning Naboth’s vineyard.

d) He needed someone to wake him up.

Elijah needed someone, the angel of the Lord in this case, to wake him up. He might have felt that all was lost. Surely, after the successful miracle at Mount Carmel and his effective prayers for rain to be restored, it should lead to a good conclusion where he accomplished the work of God. Instead, he was on the run again, as in 1 Kings 17. That could be the reason why Elijah prayed for death and said that it was enough. Similarly, when we do God’s work, there will be times when things seemed to be progressing and then they are brought back to square one. Definitely we may feel discouraged and wondering why God wants us to go back to square one. We do not have the strength to continue in His work. At this time, we may become cold and dormant in doing God’s work, very much like Elijah sleeping under the broom tree. We will need someone to wake us up, and to encourage us with the words of God so that we could arise again to do God’s work. So in this sense, Elijah had the same nature as us.

Why were the prayers of Elijah effective?

a) Faith

I believe he was a man who manifests his faith. Elijah had faith in God to protect him from the hands of Ahab. On one occasion, he told Ahab that there would not be dew or rain except at his word. In another occasion after the execution of the prophets of Baal, he told Ahab to go up and eat and drink. It was quite courageous of Elijah to speak to Ahab in such an imperative manner, considering the fact that Ahab did more evil than all the kings before him. Why was he so courageous? The reason was his faith in the protection of God. It manifests Elijah’s great faith.

b) Righteousness

Elijah was also a righteous man. He was addressed as the man of God by the widow at Zarephath. In the book of James, the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Yes, it was true that Elijah showed his fervency in praying for the revival of the widow’s son. He had to carry the child to the upper room. He had to stretch himself on the child 3 times and cried out to the Lord. Also, at the top of Mount Carmel, Elijah prayed for rain by bowing on the ground and putting his face between his knees. All these were acts that went beyond the normal posture of kneeling in prayers. It reflected the fervency of Elijah. However, a fervent prayer can be more effective if the person who prays is righteous. Hence, this man of God saw his requests granted, as could be seen in the revival of the child and the resumption of rain. So this tells us the importance of being righteous, for God knows the way of the righteous but the way of the ungodly shall perish. In the eight beatitudes, if we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we shall be filled and the things we asked for in prayer will be satisfied.

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Well... I hope you like what you read. God bless.