Monday, December 19, 2011

Mon.’s Devo - Elijah’s Prayers


Read James 5:17-20

Yesterday we talked about praying prayers that work and manifest what we say. We are just humans, but if we confess our sins and put them under the blood of Jesus, then we carry the righteousness that Jesus carried, and we can do what Jesus did. Elijah was a great example of that. (1 Kings 18) He was just a man , but a righteous man. Israel was under the leadership of Ahab who led the nation in idol worship. The Lord had closed heaven and there was no rain for 3 and a half years. But when God was ready to rain again he called Elijah to go and show himself to Ahab. Ahab had been looking for Elijah for years to kill him. The people blamed the drought on Elijah. When Elijah met with Ahab it was a showdown between the gods of Baal and the Almighty God. Elijah challenged them to build an altar and see whose God would respond with fire. When the Baal worshippers tried for hours and couldn’t call down fire, Elijah used some of the precious water of the land and doused the altar. When he prayed, fire consumed the altar. Then he took the 400 prophets of Baal down to the Kishon brook and killed them. Once the earth was rid of the deception of the Baal worshippers, heaven could once more be opened. Elijah birthed this rain like a woman births a baby. He laid down in a fetal position and prayed sending his servant over and over to see if there was a cloud. On the 7th time he saw a cloud. When it did rain, the earth responded and the dead seed came to life and produced fruit. His reason for doing this was to bring Israel out of sin and back to the Lord. When it had done this, fruit came forth. We can be as effective as Elijah if we bring one person out of a life of sin and into a life of righteousness in the Lord.

Lord, may we be bold in our walk and learn to pray until we see the results.

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