James 5:17-18
“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. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.” James 5:17-18 ESV
As an example of a “righteous man whose prayer was powerful” James cites the Old Testament prophet Elijah. Elijah was a very well-known, beloved prophet who was held in high esteem by Jews of the day. He was known for speaking out against the abuses of the kingdom, and an evil queen was always trying to kill him. Elijah was known for many miraculous exploits - calling down fire on Mount Carmel in a show-down with the prophets of Baal, raising the dead widow’s son back to life, the jar of oil and the measure of flour that never ran out, being fed by ravens and tended to by angels as he lay exhausted under a broom tree, and more! In fact, instead of dying, Elijah encountered horses and a chariot of fire and was taken to heaven in a whirlwind. These amazing stories are recorded for us in the book of 1 Kings (it would make a great movie)!
Knowing all of this, it is striking that James calls Elijah “a man with a nature like ours”. I have not seen miracles like the ones Elijah saw, so my presumption is that I am definitely not like Elijah! James’ point here is that Elijah was human - and that his closeness to God and his earnestness in prayer meant that his prayers were “powerful and effective”. The same power of prayer that Elijah saw is available to all who are sincerely following the Lord, not just a few.
The story James refers to is found in 1 Kings 17-18. “He prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain…” There was a national crisis - King Ahab and the people of Israel were behaving terribly, promoting idolatry and killing those who spoke against their behavior. They had been warned repeatedly. Then God pronounced a drought on the nation to punish them. All the rivers and water sources dried up, the crops and livestock died, and people suffered for three years. Then there was a show-down on Mount Carmel, fire fell from heaven, the idols and their priests were destroyed, God was acknowledged - and Elijah prayed that God would lift the drought punishment and send rain. And He did.
The land that was dead was brought back to life again.
How are we to live as kingdom people? We are called to be people of prayer. Our prayers are not only for ourselves and our community, but also for our nation. Our prayers are that what is dead or dying might be brought back to life. We lean into prayer fervently, believing in faith that the same power of God is available to us as it was to Elijah many centuries ago.