How Do You Pray?
James 5:17- 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.18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
I was listening to a sermon podcast that was talking about praying and God's timing. The sermon was also focusing on a miracle prayer. While I was listening to it, I thought about my own prayers and prayer time. My biggest prayer and even prayer request that I receive are all impossible situations. When you pray, what does it look like? Do you just say a quick simple prayer and move on? Check it off your list? I don't believe that is they way we see prayer in the Bible. Sometimes you find that people prayed for a long time before God answered. We (myself included) would love to have instant results. But what good is that? If God simply answered every request, how does that change me? Well, it wouldn't. I would end up treating God like a "Genie" instead of my creator. In my specific situation, the miracle that I am praying for has changed me a lot. I am closer to God than I have ever been and I would not change that.
The key word that stuck out to me in that passage was "fervently". I looked that word up in the Merriam-Webster dictionary and this is how it is defined based on how it is used in this passage.
2:exhibiting or marked by great intensity of feeling: ZEALOUS
This kind of praying is hard. It can be painful. It can take a lot of effort. If you look at this prayer in 1 Kings 18, it is a miraculous event. James helps us to understand what is going on with this prayer in James 5. Here are some things to remember while you are praying about your impossible as you seek the Lord.
Pray hard. When nothing happens, keep pushing forward and continue talking to God.
When little things happen, that is God's way of encouraging you to keep praying and letting you know that He is hearing you. Keep praying!
Don't pray safely. Have you ever said, "Lord if it be your will _____________________"? That is praying safely. God doesn't need a safety. If you are following God, pray based upon what He has shown you in His Word and through your prayers. Keep praying hard.
Keep pushing through and don't let go of God until you see Him move.
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