Elijah was a prophet and a man of ardent prayer. There will never be another Elijah who rode a fiery chariot to heaven. I would dare say that Elijah was among the Bible’s top 10 most great and mysterious prophets.
After considering all of Elijah’s miracles as God’s prophet, it can also be said that he was a man. He was human and mortal.
Elijah first appears in 1 Kings 17:1 without any previous introductions. We are told he was a Tishbite and an inhabitant of Gilead. Nothing is stated about his childhood or early adult life. At his appearance, he tells King Ahab there will be no more rain or dew,” As the LORD God of Israel liveth,” until he says so.
The message the prophet of God delivered is God’s word, an action he fervently prayed for.
During the mighty Prophet Elijah’s administration, he delivered words that not only closed heaven’s water department but rained down fire, denied the burial of a widow’s son, manifested continuous meal and oil refills, and made kings tremble in their sandals.
Despite all that he proclaimed and did for God, the book of James reminds us of Elijah’s human factor. The human factor is common to us all, regardless of religious beliefs. The factor speaks to our human fallacies.
James 5:17 (KJV) states, Elias [Greek for Elijah] was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.”
God heard and answered Elijah’s prayer.
The Apostle James uses Elijah as an example of a man who, despite his natural and human infirmities, was used by God in a mighty way. No human is perfect, and Elijah was no exception.
There came a time when Elijah was more in tune with his physical deficiencies and liabilities. In all probability, he was lonely and depressed because he thought Jezebel had killed all of God’s prophets, and he alone was left.
Elijah became down and out.
At a weak point, Elijah feared Jezebell and for his life.
At a weak point, Elijah fled.
At a weak point, Elijah wanted to die.
The good thing is God never left Elijah, even when he was weak.
In James 5:17, we are reminded that God can make us bold and fearless when we focus on him despite our mortal passions and fallacies. The verse also reiterates that the fervent prayer of a righteous person, who is also imperfect, is powerful and effective.
God hears and answers prayers that are fervent in sincerity, faith, and love that honors and glorify him. The prayer must be acceptable to God.
Psalm 66:18 (KJV) states, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not hear me.”
Elijah prayed, detesting iniquity, the evil doings of those who didn’t honor or respect God.
Elijah prayed that God would turn off the spigot in heaven so the clouds would not spill its precious gift of rain. God granted his petition against Ahab, an idolatrous king, and no dew or rain fell on the earth for three years and six months.
We can be like Elijah, realizing that strength and power come from God when we pray fervently and for ourselves and others that it is accepted by God.
The Bible says we should never cease to pray because we rely on God, not our strength.
We thank God for reminding us who we are even when we commit to His will.
After all, we are human, and God is willing and able to help us.
I hope you are happy and well.