Knowing what to do…with wisdom

Posted by Admin on May 1, 2015 in Prayer Perspective, Praying for America | Comments Off on Knowing what to do…with wisdom

A week of worldwide fasting and prayer for the US began April 30th and will continue through May 6th. This fast was not called by Americans. Australian believers have sent out this alarm.

Because of that, I am recycling several blog entries I wrote last year. At that time, God prompted me to shift my focus as I prayed for the nation. In short, I believe God showed me these four things for which to pray:

• Pray for people to know what to do.
• Pray for people to receive wisdom along with their knowledge.
• Pray for those people to receive the boldness to step out in what they know to do.
• Pray for those people to be filled with boldness to carry out their tasks to completion.

Originally posted last year (fifth in series):

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Proverbs 4:7, KJV

Pray for people to know what to do. This is what I sensed in my heart in early April. The Lord showed me that He had been revealing insight, truth, and all kinds of information—damning stuff which had been purposely hidden by various individuals—and now was the time for people to know what to do with all of it.

Since we live in times in which knowledge is increasing exponentially (see Daniel 12:4), what the Lord told me—Pray for people to know what to do—makes sense with all the information coming at all of us from every direction. An overabundance of disclosures, revelations, and information can be overwhelming; if individuals aren’t careful, the very glut of data coming in can have two opposite but equally disastrous results: On one hand, the sheer excess of information can actually squeeze those who are supposed to do something about it into inaction. On the other hand, the flood of information can trigger other individuals into impulsive, rash, and ill-advised decisions and behaviors, creating a wake of calamity.

Pray for people to know what to do. History is a wonderful tutor; common sense is worth its weight in gold; but none of us have passed this way before, and we—as a nation and as a world—are finding ourselves in uncharted territory and shark-infested waters. People—those in authority and everyone else—flat-out need to know what to do. Therefore, as you pray for people to know what to do, also cry out for an additional ingredient—wisdom.

Wisdom is the principal thing (Proverbs 4:7, KJV). There is no one in authority, no one in the news, no one who makes key decisions who does not desperately need wisdom in this hour. Some may think they have it all together, but such thinking is not the mindset of wisdom, and therefore, they need wisdom all the more.

As you pray for those in authority, those who are making headlines, those whose decisions affect hundreds, thousands, millions, and billions of lives, ask for God to show them what to do in accordance with true wisdom. Ask boldly, confident that your God watches over His Word to perform it (see Jeremiah 1:12), and stand your ground on behalf of these leaders, movers, and shakers to receive His wisdom and to act on it.

“The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; and with all your acquiring, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7, NASB). Although the men and women in seats of decision-making across the nation and around the globe possess certain attributes, talents, and capacities that helped them to attain those positions, unfortunately, God’s wisdom is not something that many of them consciously hunger for. Therefore, it is imperative that you and I go to bat on their behalf to cry out for wisdom to overtake them—and for them to act accordingly.

Just as it is God’s will for none to perish (see 2 Peter 3:9), it is also His will for leaders and decision-makers to seek Him for wisdom. However, whether or not they do so, it is the job of believing people to pray to that end—that the wisdom of God would operate upon and through those who are in authority.

Does your leader appear to be deficient in wisdom? Pray for him to receive it, even if it seems that he is defiant to godly wisdom. Remember, it is written, “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD (Proverbs 21:1a); not “The Lord is manipulated by the hand and the whim of the king.” God knows how to bring wisdom to even the most reluctant leader. But first, He requires believing humans to ask for it.

God’s wisdom will bring with it good fruit. First of all, He will show people what to do in their areas of authority and expertise. He will lead them step by step, and as they yield, His purposes shall be accomplished. Also, as those for whom you pray yield to wisdom from God, He will bring them to a clearer knowledge of right and wrong in general, and more specifically, the need to deal with their own areas of sin and wrongdoing, prompting a turning to God. This is the stuff of revival.

What if a decision-maker refuses to yield to wisdom from God after much prayer on his or her behalf? The Bible is full of examples of such leaders and rulers; God suffered long with many of them, but in the end, those who persisted in resistance were—after all—held accountable and overturned, deposed, or met with an unpleasant end. When you pray for leaders, remember that they will ultimately answer to the King of kings for their decisions; therefore, persist in prayer on their behalf for wisdom, for the will of God to be performed, and for their eyes to open to the truth so they can be saved.

Pray for people to know what to do; and ask God to grant them wisdom in their knowing.

Dorothy

Proverbs 4:7 in several translations:

The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. NIV

Wisdom is supreme—so get wisdom. And whatever else you get, get understanding. Holman Christian Standard Bible

Wisdom is of utmost importance, therefore get wisdom, and with all your effort work to acquire understanding. International Standard Version

Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom! Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding! Message Bible

Wisdom is supreme. Get wisdom. Yes, though it costs all your possessions, get understanding. World English Bible

For whom should I pray?

Posted by Admin on Apr 30, 2015 in Prayer Perspective, Praying for America | Comments Off on For whom should I pray?

A week of worldwide fasting and prayer for the US begins today, April 30th, and will continue through May 6th. This fast was not called by Americans. Australian believers have sent out this alarm.

Because of that, I want to recycle several blog entries I wrote last year. At that time, God prompted me to shift my focus as I prayed for the nation. In short, I believe God showed me these four things for which to pray:

• Pray for people to know what to do.
• Pray for people to receive wisdom along with their knowledge.
• Pray for those people to receive the boldness to step out in what they know to do.
• Pray for those people to be filled with boldness to carry out their tasks to completion.

Originally posted last year (fourth in series):

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority… 1 Timothy 2:1-2a, emphasis added

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel… Ephesians 6:18-19, emphasis added

Pray for people to know what to do. This is what I heard from the Lord this year, early in April. He then let me know that He had been pouring insight and revelation across the nation and upon people of all walks of life and would continue to do so. His instructions to me involved praying for them to know what to do with the knowledge, truth, and insights they had gained.

We live in the time of which Daniel prophesied, when knowledge of all sorts is being revealed at increasingly enormous rates (see Daniel 12:4). Wherever you go, with whomever you speak, no matter the topic, knowledge is increasing, expanding, and exploding.

Information is in perpetual motion. It stops for no one. As soon as you start to acquire an elementary grasp of any component of current events, the whole thing divides and subdivides and morphs into something new. And as information explodes, lives are involved—multitudes of lives are affected, countless lives are changed—and all too often, lives are destroyed.

Pray for people to know what to do. Who are these folks? We need to know so we can pray for them.

Look at the lists the Lord provided for us in 1 Timothy 2 and Ephesians 6. They give a clear line up of those for whom we should pray.

Kings. Whoever has leadership over this nation and other nations needs to be covered by our prayers. Ask God to reveal to the heads of state what they are to do. God has a plan for them, and it is probably not going to look just like your plan for them. Here’s the truth of the matter: These men and women need to know what to do, and you need them to know what to do. When we cover them with prayer, they will more likely be influenced by God’s leading—even if they genuinely dislike the concept of yielding to the God of the Bible. Let God direct you in your prayers, showing you which leaders for whom to pray.

All who are in authority. Knowledge—information that others in high places want to keep hidden—has been pouring out on many in strategic positions these days. So much so that it’s not hard to imagine that these leaders are overwhelmed and swamped—their heads are spinning—in the torrents of ever-cascading information. In every position of authority is someone who needs to know what to do by the Spirit of God with all the information and revelation that is piling up around them. They need your prayers. You need them to know what to do. So pray as the Spirit of God brings someone—or an office or a position of authority—to your mind or heart. He will help you to pray for them. And it’s very likely that they will start to make better decisions—whether or not they know why.

All the saints. Paul told the Ephesians to be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. The Ephesians were charged to be instant—ready and willing at a moment’s notice—to pray for their fellow Christians. He also instructed them to stay the course with this prayer-ready lifestyle—to persevere in it.

How do you discern which believer for whom to pray? You pray for the individuals that come to your heart or who cross your mind. Perhaps you have a dream about them or a random experience reminds you of them. Then pray. Your friend—or brother or sister in Christ—have need of God’s help. They need to know what to do, and you can stand in the gap for them. By the leading of the Holy Spirit, you can touch God on their behalf, and then He will touch them—and He will drop into them what to do as a result.

Pray on my behalf. The Apostle Paul wrote this, requesting prayer on his own behalf. Why? That utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. Paul needed prayer so that God’s utterance—the knowing of what to say by the agency of the Holy Spirit—would be given to him whenever he opened his mouth. His desire was to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. In order to fulfill this task given to him by God, he needed believers to pray for him so he could speak boldly the oracles of God. Without prayer coverage—although he was called and although he knew the gospel—he would be less effective.

Who is like Paul to you in your life? Even though you probably perceive them as spiritual giants who have it all together, your “Pauls” need your prayers. Your pastor, your Bible teachers, the visiting evangelists, the missionaries overseas, the Christian counselor you visit, the prayer group or Bible study leader, the radio, TV, or internet ministry, your mentors in the Lord, and even the person who led you to Jesus—they all need prayer. Anyone who points the way to eternal life in Jesus Christ needs prayer, so you never go wrong by praying for them to know what to do and what to say so that they’ll be bold with God’s boldness and effective in the power of the Holy Spirit.

And just a reminder: Even as Christianity itself has come under greater attack in this hour, all of the godly leaders mentioned above are likely experiencing an increase of the same kind of attack in their own lives and ministries. Pray for them. Let God lead you. As a result, they will be strengthened and helped, and the fruit that will abound to their account as a result of your prayer will abound to your account as well.

All men. Paul wrote to Timothy to pray for all men. That would include the good, the bad, and the ugly. If someone crosses your mind, pray for them. If someone blesses you, pray a thanksgiving prayer for them. If someone irritates, offends, misrepresents, or otherwise crosses you, pray for them. Instead of stewing, storm Heaven on their behalf. Trust God to direct you; all men (and women and boys and girls…and teens!) need to know what to do in this critical hour. When one of them appears on your “radar”—despite who they are—then they need your prayers. So many miraculous happenings start as a “random” thought planted in the heart of a person of prayer.

As you follow through with all prayer and petition, praying at all times in the Spirit…being on the alert with all perseverance and petition, the men and women for whom you pray will know what to do in their own realms of authority, expertise, and life; and God will be free to download His will into a culture that was heading off the edge of the cliff in their efforts to flee from Him. And then the glory of the Lord will be seen and honored once again.

May it be so, Lord Jesus! May it be so.

Dorothy

That people know what to do…

Posted by Admin on Apr 29, 2015 in Prayer Perspective | Comments Off on That people know what to do…

A call has come from Australia for believers around the world to join in prayer and fasting for America from April 30th through May 6th.

Because of that, I want to recycle several blog entries I wrote last year. At that time, God prompted me to shift my focus as I prayed for the nation. In short, I believe God showed me these four things for which to pray:

• Pray for people to know what to do.
• Pray for people to receive wisdom along with their knowledge.
• Pray for those people to receive the boldness to step out in what they know to do.
• Pray for those people to be filled with boldness to carry out their tasks to completion.

Originally posted last year (third in series):

Of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their kinsmen were at their command. 1 Chronicles 12:32, emphasis added

The lion’s share of the shift in direction I received about praying for the nation was this: Pray for people to know what to do.

How simple is that! When you pray for others to know what to do, you don’t have to know the details yourself! You don’t have to have a clue what they should do. In fact, it’s often “cleaner” that way; you’re not dictating your own ideas to the Lord. You merely pray for them to get that knowledge from God—whether they know it’s from God or not. The results of them knowing what to do—all over the nation and at every level—will be God-results. And that’s what we must have.

The sons of Issachar, back in the days when David took the throne of Israel, were described as men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do. Such insight was more than likely used to help further the establishment of David’s kingdom; wherever there is an abundance of men who have God-imparted understanding of the times and know what to do, the establishment and expansion of truth, righteousness, justice, and peace can flourish.

Conversely, two verses in Proverbs 14 reveal an interesting thought: “When the righteous triumph, there is great elation; but when the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding” (verse 12, NIV), and “When the wicked rise, men hide themselves; but when they perish, the righteous increase” (verse 28, NASB). Consider this: the “culture of correctness”—about which I wrote a couple of days ago—tends to target traditional and Christian thinkers and results in thrusting many into “ideological hiding” from anyone who might “out” them.

Men and women who know what to do by the wisdom given to them by the Spirit of God can be used by Him—whether or not they are aware of His involvement—to tip the cultural scale in favor of righteousness, freedom, and peace.

I want to encourage you to be available to the Lord to pray for the groups and individuals that He puts on your heart. They need His knowledge to know what to do in this hour; therefore, they need your prayers. And frankly, we need them to know what to do!

I believe that God wants to move strongly throughout this nation at all levels and in all regions so that the ministry of reconciliation—winning men, women, boys, and girls to Jesus—can proceed and expand unhindered in this hour. This soul-reaching, soul-winning call is for each one of us. And to pave the way for the “more than you can ask or imagine” (see Ephesians 3:20) explosion of salvations which many believe is just around the corner, you and I are also called to stand in prayer for all men, kings and those who are in authority (see 1 Timothy 2:1-2). As we stand praying, we are to do so in the authority of Jesus Christ without wavering, listening for and heeding the promptings of the Holy Spirit. What a privilege it is to be part of such a historic time!

Blessings,

Dorothy

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this? Esther 4:14

A shift in prayer direction

Posted by Admin on Apr 28, 2015 in Prayer Perspective, Praying for America | Comments Off on A shift in prayer direction

From Australia a call has come for believers worldwide to fast and pray for America from April 30th through May 6th.

Because of that, I want to recycle several blog entries I wrote last year. At that time, God prompted me to shift my focus as I prayed for the nation. In short, I believe God showed me these four things for which to pray:

• Pray for people to know what to do.
• Pray for people to receive wisdom along with their knowledge.
• Pray for those people to receive the boldness to step out in what they know to do.
• Pray for those people to be filled with boldness to carry out their tasks to completion.

Written last year (second in series):  

When I wrote my book First of All, Pray: Prescription for a Nation in Crisis, I had been engaged in praying for the United States for over twenty years, often about elections, the president, and national security. During those two decades, I experienced some vivid dreams in which I interacted with each of three presidents—our current one and the last two. The dreams were all instructive as far as praying for each particular man and from those dreams, I got glimpses into each man’s thinking, motives, and behaviors at the time. Along with that, I gained some understanding of the spiritual obstacles surrounding the office which affected the ability of each Chief Executive to make sound decisions.

In February of 2008, I had been praying every week with a friend over the phone for the presidential election in November of that year. We had been praying together on this topic since the beginning of that year, and on the second Saturday of February, the Lord gave clear direction concerning how to pray for one of the candidates. I shared it with my prayer partner, and she agreed. However, the Lord neglected that evening to indicate to me which candidate to whom He was referring; at that point in time, three viable candidates were still running—one Republican and two Democrats. Of the three, one of them I was not fond of; one of them I didn’t trust at all; and the third I really knew nothing about, so I had no feelings one way or the other about that person.

All that next week, I prayed over the instruction God had given me. Then, when unbecoming information came out about one candidate in the middle of the week (the one of whom I was not fond), I asked the Lord, “Is this the candidate You were talking about?” Crickets. Nothing…except a sense of the Lord rolling His eyes at me. I deduced from this that the candidate of whom I was not fond was not the one the Lord had indicated.

Before I prayed with my prayer partner the next week, I realized that the Lord was referring to the candidate about whom I had no opinion. My friend confirmed that she sensed the same thing, so with that, we prayed according to instructions about the little-known candidate throughout the rest of 2008 until the election and even up to the inauguration. (Suffice it to say that ever since the second week of February, 2008, I had prayed according to Mark 4:22 and Luke 12:2.) That candidate became president; but although the outcome did not turn out as we had hoped, the directive still stood and continued to influence my prayer for the President as he took on the duties of office.

Early in April last year the Lord dropped a “shift” into my heart concerning the way I was to pray for America. He showed me that quite  a bit of the original prayer direction He had given had taken place. More would unfold as well, but now was the time to shift focus when I prayed for the nation.

Now my assignment was to simply pray for people to know what to do with the insight and revelation He was giving. The Lord wants to prepare men and women for appropriate action, and He intends for all of that action to be covered by  prayer—preferably before the actions take place so His will can be more perfectly accomplished.

Simple enough, right? Well, we are in the age of which Daniel prophesied—the age in which knowledge has increased and is continuing to expand exponentially (see Daniel 12:4). Therefore, although the charge to pray for humans to know what to do is easy enough, the Lord desires that His people not only pray big general prayers along this line, but He also wants us to be able to key in on specific groups and individuals by the Holy Spirit, according to the need, according to the moment, according to His will, and according to His prompting. And there are so many key individuals and groups in so many areas and walks of life, and the time is so critical that I believe the Lord wants all hands on deck, each one ready to pray whenever the Spirit of God drops His leading into their heart.

And I believe with all my heart that this shift in focus from God is not merely a have-to directive; it’s also a get-to directive. You and I get to participate with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in these outlandishly amazing times.

More tomorrow,

Dorothy

…for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13

Praying for the US

Posted by Admin on Apr 27, 2015 in Prayer Perspective, Praying for America | Comments Off on Praying for the US

A call has gone out for believers worldwide to pray and fast for America. Those who have called for the fast have set apart April 30 this week through May 6. And the most fascinating thing about the call is this: it comes from Australia. Wise men and women across the globe realize that if the US fails in its unique global leadership role, the rest of the world will likely fall as well.

A year ago, in early April, I was minding my own business, just enjoying fellowship with the Lord, when He spoke something very clearly to my heart.

I posted what He showed me in a series last year, and I think it’s a good time to rerun it in preparation for the fast and during the time of prayer.

Before I do, however, I want to address an obstacle most of us face, not only when we reach out to the hurting people we meet every day, but also in living our day to day lives freely and unfiltered as generations of Americans have before us. This obstacle is the climate of “political correctness” in which we live. Another name for it would be “the fear of man.” It is that intense pressure that compels you to conform to the status quo, to not rock the boat, to avoid making anyone uncomfortable at all costs—especially if you long to inject Jesus or His Word into the conversation. The J.B. Phillips paraphrase of the New Testament describes this pressure from our “culture of correctness” as “the world around you squeezing you into its own mould” (see Romans 12:2, JBP). And, as the Apostle Paul urged, “Don’t let the world do that” (ibid).

The majority of believers are considerate and respectful to those around them; but due to our current climate, so many of us have become extremely cautious about what we say when it comes to our love for Jesus, morals, or biblical truth because we have been trained—steeped—in the consciousness of the new “right and wrong” in today’s culture. My witness might be “marred” if someone thought I had anything but acceptance toward societal standards and current trends, we may worry. Heaven forbid that someone would think I’m intolerant!

So here we are, in an age in which the power and wisdom of God are so desperately needed but are so defiantly “barricaded” or squelched. And since it is to this generation that we have been sent, we have a job to do—to boldly minister the power, wisdom, salt, and light of the gospel to all of them and to address the forces that seek to prevent this from happening.

All of us are called to be ministers of reconciliation (see 2 Corinthians 5:18), and all of us are called to stand firm against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (see Ephesians 6:12), praying for all men, for kings and all who are in authority (see 1 Timothy 2:1-2). Without prayer for all men, kings, and all who are in authority in conjunction with standing firm against all the strategies of the enemy, the ministry of winning men and women to God through Jesus Christ gets squeezed into a bland worldly mould, becoming a mere shadow of its original power.

I believe this is why God is leading so many of you to cry out to Him on behalf of the United States now. This nation has been wonderfully instrumental in sending out hope, help, and the gospel to people all around the globe throughout her history, and Satan hasn’t liked it one bit. Therefore, the enemy has planted a big bull’s eye on America as he strategizes how to squeeze this nation economically, culturally, politically, educationally, and militarily. His goal is to silence her spiritually, morally, and ethically, in order to render any ministry of reconciliation—whether a large operation or small—weak, fearful, tepid, ineffective, and eventually extinct.

And so, I asked God last year if I could share the prayer directive He gave me then, and I received the go-ahead. His instruction is simple and allows you the lee-way to proceed as you feel led. This is not a “V-line of geese” type of prayer where one leads and everyone else follows; such prayer has its place, but our current situation in this nation requires all hands on deck and around-the-clock readiness, each one alert to pray about whatever drops into his or her heart at any given moment. (It’s that critical—a small blip on your “radar” prompting you to pray as you go through your daily routine may change the course of history: it may thwart a massive attack; it may save millions of lives; it may correct a huge error of judgment on the part of national or world leaders in the nick of time.) Your prayer can be private, quiet, short and sweet; it can be corporate, impassioned, and of long duration. Whatever, God wants to use all of us to affect the United States of America in prayer, and He’s ready for us to pray those prayers on her behalf.

If God has an assignment for you and me in prayer for this nation, then doesn’t that signify that He wants to answer that prayer as well? It is my hope that you will be encouraged to pray bold prayers for the United States of America. I believe that He is not through with us yet. Obviously, the Australians don’t think He is. 🙂

Stay tuned,

Dorothy

“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 29:11-14a

James 5:19-20—In closing: Concerning those who have strayed

Posted by Admin on Apr 24, 2015 in Prayer Perspective | Comments Off on James 5:19-20—In closing: Concerning those who have strayed

My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back,  let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. James 5:19-20

1. A believer is capable of straying from the truth.
2. Other believers have the capacity to turn him back to the truth.
3. The reward is in the knowing:

•    If you turn someone from error, you will save his soul from death.
•    You will cover a multitude of sins.

A believer is capable of straying from the truth. The bulk of James’ letter deals with the straying capacity of believers. On one hand, his letter is a warning to avoid detrimental lifestyle choices, and on the other, it is a corrective rebuke to those who have already entangled themselves in carnality. Because of this, I think of the book of James as a reality check.

Other believers have the capacity to turn straying ones back to the truth. Much of this letter deals with the tongue. The capacity to slip with the tongue seems to be the greatest area of vulnerability among believers. Therefore, James closes his letter by reminding his readers of the correct stance to take concerning those who have strayed from the truth: Seek to turn them back. Don’t spin your wheels by incessantly analyzing their falls and flaws with others; go to God and seek Him for their restoration. Make it your mission to win them back through prayer and godly behavior and words.

Don’t let it be said that you preferred dissecting your brethren to seeking their deliverance.

The reward is in the knowing. Let your greatest reward be this: Knowing that by your love, prayer, and self-restraint someone was restored to fellowship with Jesus. Knowing that someone is now blessed and living for Christ because of your prayers and refusal to belittle, bemoan, or besmirch them when they behaved badly is reward in itself.

…he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death…

Instead of broadcasting his error, you sought the Lord so he would turn from his error. And you obeyed God as you interacted with this one. As a result, he did not run further away from the Lord but was wooed and won back to Him by your steadfast, loving presentation of the Truth—demonstrated by both your words and your deeds. Because of your caring involvement, he has been spared devastating loss on that Day.

…and will cover a multitude of sins.

Though his sins stacked up like a pile of rotting carcasses, by of your gracious intervention, those sins have been covered. They no longer weigh him down or pollute the very atmosphere around him. They are buried and are no longer attached to him—or to his account.

It is fitting that James ended such a corrective letter in this way. As he closed, he refocused his brethren, ensuring that they would make adjustments among themselves with clean hearts and right motives.

I pray we embrace the wisdom in this short letter and be empowered to walk in it before the Lord for the rest of our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Dorothy

Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:26-27

James 5:17-18—Elijah

Posted by Admin on Apr 22, 2015 in James 5 | Comments Off on James 5:17-18—Elijah

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 poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. James 5:17-18

Three key ingredients are typically found in effective prayer: 1. praying in the name of Jesus; 2. praying in faith; and 3. praying from a position of your righteousness in Christ as a man or woman who maintains a right heart toward fellow believers. (See yesterday’s entry on James 5:16; https://www.firstofallpray.com/?p=6405.)

James wrote that effective prayer “can accomplish much” and, according to the Amplified Bible, “makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]” (James 5:16b). He continued with this thought by citing the example of the effective prayers of the prophet Elijah.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours…

James did not connect the name of Elijah with his calling, “prophet”. He meant no disrespect; on the contrary, he highlighted Elijah as a model of an effective man of prayer. But James was not interested in titles or callings in this context; instead, he sought to draw attention to Elijah’s humanity—as a man with a nature similar to everyone else.

Why would James do this? Wasn’t the prophet Elijah a set-apart, powerful prophet of faith? Matthew Henry wrote, “He was a zealous good man and a very great man, but he had his infirmities, and was subject to disorder in his passions as well as others” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Jam/Jam_005.cfm, emphasis added). It is due to Elijah’s humanness that you can take courage through his example. You may not be able to relate to the prophet, but you can relate to another fallible human being. And James was saying, in essence, that powerful, effective prayer is available to everyone—not just for certain elite “holy men”.

…and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.

Elijah came on the scene during a long span of corruption in Israel. King Omri had done evil in the sight of the Lord, and acted more wickedly than all who were before him (1 Kings 16:25). But after him, his son Ahab, who was on the throne in Elijah’s time, did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him—even more than his wicked father Omri (see Kings 16:30). Ahab not only walked in the sins of those who went before him, but he added insult to injury by marrying Jezebel, daughter of Sidonian king Ethbaal, whose name revealed that he was a worshiper of Baal. Ahab followed Jezebel into her family’s worship of idols and built a house and altar for Baal in Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel. On top of that, he also made an Asherah—a goddess viewed to be the consort of Baal by the nations around Israel. “Thus Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him” (1 Kings 16:33b).

Enter the prophet Elijah. Gripped with zeal for the one true God, Elijah confronted Ahab and said, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word” (1 Kings 17:1b). And so it happened—no rain for three and a half years.

Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.

In the third year, the Lord told Elijah that it would rain. But there was some business to accomplish first. He was to face Ahab and the priests of Baal—despite the fact that Ahab had called Elijah a troubler of Israel—and confront them about Baal worship (see 1 Kings 18:1, 17-19).

1 Kings 18 chronicles the confrontation between Elijah and the priests of Baal. God displayed His mighty power while at the same time He exposed the impotence of Baal as a testimony to Ahab and all of Israel that Yahweh alone was God. After Elijah slaughtered every one of the false prophets of Baal, he spoke to the king, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower” (1 Kings 18:41) when there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. The Bible reveals that Ahab did as Elijah commanded, but Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he crouched down on the earth and put his face between his knees (1 Kings 18:42).  And thus Elijah prayed—earnestly and with effectiveness, with undivided attention upon gaining his request from God.

Despite all of the spectacular miracles surrounding Elijah prior to that, he didn’t see the answer to this prayer immediately. As he crouched, praying, he asked his servant to check seven different times to look out over the sea in hopes of rainclouds approaching. “There is nothing” the servant replied six times (see 1 Kings 18:42-43).

But on the seventh check, the servant returned with this report: “Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea” (verse 44).  And soon, the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower (verse 45).

Remember, Elijah had a nature like the rest of us have. And as he listened to God and refused to waver, his prayers prevailed.

Like Elijah, as you seek to obey the Lord and follow Him in your life, refusing to waver in your prayer of faith—your prayers will prevail. The Lord is faithful.

Dorothy

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised). Hebrews 10:23, KJV