In the last blog the challenge laid out before us in scripture is not just to believe that the audacious stories of God’s power being displayed on behalf of the prayers of his people happened but to believe that they still can happen and even more so, happen in our lives right here and right now. This week I would like us to focus on a couple more passages to assist us in this kind of thinking and living. This first passage sets the bar very high and pushes us to recalibrate what it is we really want God do in our lives, families and churches. In 1 John 5:14-15 it reads, This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. Now go back and re-read that verse, does this describe your prayer life? Do you have confidence to ask anything in his will and know that we will have what we ask of him? The key to this kind of confidence is not by working up your own desire to really believe but rather this confidence comes from knowing God’s will. This tells me that I need to know the word of God, the written and revealed will of the Almighty more and more. I need to bath my mind and heart in God’s promises and the history of his actions on behalf of his praying people. As I soak my mind and heart in these stories my confidence will grow as I uncover and discover the kinds of things God wants me to ask him for. This is what it means in Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. This verse is found in a passage where Paul is explaining that we may have zeal for God but without knowledge of his will it is futile. The word of Christ is meant to inform our faith which then increases confidence and zeal for our faith .
Therefore this second passage should be one that brings us hope which will lead to confidence. It is found in James 5:17-18, Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. No doubt all of us who know anything about Elijah honor him as a great prophet of God. No doubt we believe that this kind of praying could be done by such a man. However, did you notice the first part of the verse, he was in fact just like the rest of us! This is meant to give us confidence when we pray. We can pray mighty prayers just like Elijah did who even prayed that a little boy would come back to life from the dead and he did. This is our promise. This is our confidence. This is for our lives today. Go and read the entire story found in 1 Kings 18 and I know you will be inspired to pray like Elijah. But before we leave this topic there is one more important thing to notice. James mentioned that Elijah prayed earnestly and 1 Kings 18 fleshes this out in verses 42-44. This kind of praying is hard work. One simple question puts it all into perspective. What if Elijah had stopped praying after the 6th time? We must come to grips with this truth. Praying confidently gives us endurance to keep praying until we see God’s will done in our midst. Sadly, I think most of us do not see great things done through our prayers because we stop after 3 or 4 attempts and so we do not see God grant us what we have asked of him. We need to ask the Lord the same thing his disciples did in Luke 11:1, “Lord teach us to pray!” Amen.
Therefore this second passage should be one that brings us hope which will lead to confidence. It is found in James 5:17-18, Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. No doubt all of us who know anything about Elijah honor him as a great prophet of God. No doubt we believe that this kind of praying could be done by such a man. However, did you notice the first part of the verse, he was in fact just like the rest of us! This is meant to give us confidence when we pray. We can pray mighty prayers just like Elijah did who even prayed that a little boy would come back to life from the dead and he did. This is our promise. This is our confidence. This is for our lives today. Go and read the entire story found in 1 Kings 18 and I know you will be inspired to pray like Elijah. But before we leave this topic there is one more important thing to notice. James mentioned that Elijah prayed earnestly and 1 Kings 18 fleshes this out in verses 42-44. This kind of praying is hard work. One simple question puts it all into perspective. What if Elijah had stopped praying after the 6th time? We must come to grips with this truth. Praying confidently gives us endurance to keep praying until we see God’s will done in our midst. Sadly, I think most of us do not see great things done through our prayers because we stop after 3 or 4 attempts and so we do not see God grant us what we have asked of him. We need to ask the Lord the same thing his disciples did in Luke 11:1, “Lord teach us to pray!” Amen.
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