For us as Christians, prayer is our lifeline to heaven, straight to the throne of grace. In his letter, James shares how Elijah was a man of righteousness, and that his prayers had great effectiveness.
Remember the incident that is found in 1 Kings 17-18, with wicked King Ahab and Jezebel his queen. They had led Israel into the worship of Baal. God punished Israel by holding back the rain. For three and a half years there was no rain to support the crops, to produce any food. And then Elijah challenged the priest of Baal on Mount Carmel. All day long the priests cried out to their god, but no answer came. When the time for the evening sacrifice came, Elijah repaired the altar, and prepared the sacrifice. And then with one prayer, fire came down from heaven to consume the sacrifice. God heard Elijah's prayer.
I believe that God hears our prayers, and answers them according to His will for our lives. Prayer is not the least thing we can do, but it should be the first thing we do, and it will be the best thing, that we can do.
While we wait for the Lord to perform His will, we will be encouraged by His promises to take care of us, and His presence in our hearts, and in our lives. It is not a waste of time to pray. Prayer will accomplish more that we realize.
But it's up to us to make it a priority practice. It is a step of faith on our part, believing that this act of fellowship will accomplish much for us, for others, as we journey towards eternity. GP
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