I was reading James 5 but when I got to verse 17 and 18, I realized something about Elijah that I’d like to see in myself. It reads, ‘Elijah was a human being with a nature such as we have [with feelings, affections, and a constitution like ours]; and he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and no rain fell on the earth for three years and six months. 18 And [then] he prayed again and the heavens supplied rain and the land produced its crops [as usual].’ Initially when I read that I thought, “Wow! What power the prophet had!” Then I realized it wasn’t power, it was place.
You see just because ‘he prayed’ didn’t mean he had the ability to change the weather. Elijah didn’t have the power to make water fall from the sky. Only God could do that. But the fact that he had the wherewithal, faith, and place with God to even ask is priceless. Because think about that for a moment. What if you had access to let’s say President Biden. I mean like y’all went way back. What if you could hit him up and be like, “Joe, run that stimy!” and he was like, “Bet!” And within a matter of weeks, you were depositing a $1400 check. You didn’t have the power to make it happen, but you had the place with the President that he actually did you a solid. That place is actually a relationship which is what Elijah had with God. So much so, that he could pray and ask God to change weather conditions, and it was so.
I kept wondering what it took for Elijah to have that kind of relationship with God. God just doesn’t give that kind of place to anybody. To be able to command weather conditions comes with a relationship which involves time spent to even understand that level of spiritual authority. But it also involves trust. And not just trustworthiness but meekness and submission. Because just think about it. After Elijah prayed and it didn’t rain for like a week, that would have sufficed. He could have thought, “Man, God really did answer my prayers. Okay, Lord. You can make it rain again whenever you’re ready.” But what about after a month. Year one, two and three, he could have thought he was that dude because he only asked God to not make it rain. But for 3 ½ years…man!
And you already know that after a while, he may have even wanted a few drops to fall, ha-hall, ha-hall, a-all, a-all (in my Eddie Kane voice). He even probably started asking God, “Lord, is it going to rain today?” And God was like, “Not today.” Everyday he probably asked God, “Lord, You thinking about making it rain?” And God was like, “Nope! They still not acting right.” And in true humanlike fashion, Elijah probably smiled sheepishly and asked again. Only this time God was like, “Nope! And stop asking!” 😊. That probably happened repeatedly until finally ‘he prayed again and the heavens supplied rain.’
For three and a half years Elijah walked around knowing he had it like that with God. But another thing to consider is what his attitude was like when it did finally rain. Especially since the scripture says, “…and he prayed…and the heavens supplied rain and the land produced its crops.’ I know there had to have been times when he saw someone reaping a harvest, making money, buying new houses and cars. If he were like you or me, he would’ve been like, “Y’all wouldn’t even have that if it wasn’t for me!” He could walked around big boyin’ and taxing everybody. Instead, he remained meek which is why he could be trusted with that type of place with God. James 4:3 says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” We pray prayers so that we can big boy. We want God to demonstrate His power. And when He does answer our prayers, we tell everybody WE PRAYED and don’t even mention the God we PRAYED TO. Elijah ‘was a human being with a nature such as we have [with feelings, affections, and a constitution like ours]’, yet God still answered his prayers, and he still lived a meek and mild life. Unlike some of us 😐.
I don’t know about you but I’m going to reexamine my prayers. Am I praying so that I can stunt or is this something that God wants me to have? If God answers my prayers will I brag about how I prayed or am I going to give God the credit? On the flip side, I know we all have rainy situations and/or people in our lives but if God answered that prayer, and gave us a rainless life, how would we respond? If He gave you three years and six months of nothing but rainless situations, would you still praise Him? Because remember God is still in the prayer answering business but when He does, will you big boy or act like Elijah?
Pray this with me: Heavenly Father, I so want to have an Elijah-type-place with You. One where You can trust me to use my faith and I see You answer my prayer. But when You do Heavenly Father, please remind me to stay close to You. Snatch my hand when I try to pull away and show off and help me to continue to pray during those rainless months, when my life is good, and all is well with my soul. In Jesus’ name.
Copyright 2021 © Real Issues Publishing®. All rights reserved.
Comentarios