The Prayer of a Righteous Man
"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for
each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a
righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man
just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain,
and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth
produced its crops." - James 5:16-18
In his book Miracles in Black, Dr. John C. Wengatz tells of
an African convert who was left at a new mission station to
carry on the Lord's work with a cannibal tribe. It was the
dry season when Joao Mbaxi took over, but soon the tropical
rains would be coming. Month after month went by, however,
without a cloud appearing in the sky. Then came the time for
the normal dry period. By now everyone was suffering, and
many were on the brink of starvation.
In all the years they had worshiped their ancient gods, the rains had never failed them, and so Joao was told that he must leave the country and take "the white man's God" with him. The courageous Christian refused to go. Then, flushed with anger, the chief sullenly warned, "If your God is as good as you say and so powerful that He rules the sky, why doesn't He send us the needed showers? If it doesn't rain by sunrise tomorrow, we will drink your blood and eat your flesh!"
Recalling the Biblical account of Elijah, Joao went to
his hut and prayed for divine help with the same urgency as
that of the ancient prophet. Meanwhile the members of the
tribe waited for the dawn when the Christian leader would
become the victim of their horrible feast. Just before
daylight, thunder was heard in the distance, lightning
flashed across the sky, and abundant rain refreshed the
entire region! As a result, Joao was able to continue his
work for Christ.
The prayer of someone who is totally dependent on the Lord
is powerful! Today in prayer, confess any sin in your life
and pray for something that is completely out of your hands
for Christ's glory.
"It is not the arithmetic of our prayers, how many they are:
nor the rhetoric of our prayers, how eloquent they are; nor
the geometry of our prayers, how long they be; nor the music
of our prayers, how sweet our voice may be; nor the logic of
our prayers, how argumentative they may be; nor the method
of our prayers, how orderly they may be -- which God cares
for. Fervency of spirit is that which availeth much." -
William Lee
God's Word: "Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead,
said to Ahab, "As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I
serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few
years except at my word."" - 1 Kings 17:1
By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2004, Devotional E-Mail
DEVOTIONS IN JAMES
pkennedy@devotional.com