Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit.
James 5:17-18 LSB
Elijah was a prophet who lived during the reign of King Ahab and his wicked queen, Jezebel. The account of Elijah is found in 1 Kings, chapters 17-18 and is a very interesting read if you are not familiar with it.
When we read about the awesome miracles God performed through these prophets, we must keep in mind they are ordinary men who allowed God to use them to do extraordinary things. These prophets were taunted, ignored, and sometimes barely escaped death.
These men dealt with temptation and sometimes they faltered, sometimes they were fearful. Romans 3:23 tells us we all sin and fall short of the glory of God.
Now, the reason James said this about Elijah with a nature like ours, is just before that he was talking about how the prayers of a righteous man can bring results. He said 5:16, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
My friend, if you are going through a difficult time pay careful attention to this Scripture passage. Confess your sins, pray for one another. We shouldn’t only pray for ourselves, but have a heart filled with compassion and pray for other people. We can’t be righteous on our own, but when we confess our sins to God, we can obtain righteousness. We are told in 1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.
We were all born with a sinful nature. David said in Psalm 51:5, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” You don’t have to teach a toddler to lie, it comes naturally. You don’t have to teach them to covet another child’s toy, it comes naturally.
Our sinful natures are something we are born with. We must make a choice to be overcomers. We must overcome our sin. We can only do this by surrendering to Christ.
We read about these great feats accomplished by these men in the Bible. We must remember they were ordinary human beings just like you and me. They were born with sinful natures just like you and me. The only difference is they surrendered to God’s will. They allowed themselves to be used by God to bring Him glory, honor and praise.
Just recently in children’s church we talked about Jonah. Jonah is the only prophet in the Bible that said, “No.” to God. He wound up in a fierce storm, tossed out of the boat and swallowed by a giant fish. He spent 3 days in the belly of this fish. Saying no to God and trying to run from what God had called him to do didn’t work out so well for him.
It won’t work out so well for you either. Confess your sins. Pray for one another. Put on a heart of love and compassion and surrender to God’s will for your life. You will be amazed at what God will do in you and through you.
Trust in God today and obey Him so that your prayers can accomplish much.
Have a great day!