On the Epistle of James (3) The Confident Believer

Wednesday September 15, 2021

The prayer of the righteous acts with great force. Elijah was a man of the same nature as us. He prayed insistently that it would not rain and it did not rain on the earth for 3 years and 6 months. Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit. James 5.16-18

On the Epistle of James (3) The Confident Believer

A fervent prayer is the opposite of a prayer made with lip service, without conviction. It is a prayer that patiently awaits a precise answer. This is how the prophet Elijah prayed. By reading chapters 17 and 18 of the 1st book of Kings, we understand that it was God who kept the rain from falling for over three years. Previously, he had invited Elijah to hide near a stream where he was miraculously fed by crows who brought him bread and meat. It was also God who allowed it to rain again. And yet, the apostle James, inspired by the Holy Spirit, comes to reveal to us that God acted thus in answer to the urgent prayer of the prophet.

Patriarch Isaac prayed for 20 years to have a child while his wife was barren (Genesis 25.20-26). One might be surprised that God took a long time to respond. Isaac could also have got bored and stopped praying. But God has a plan for everyone and sometimes wants to test our faith, not to make us doubt or discourage us, but on the contrary to strengthen our confidence in him and teach us to rely fully on him.

A believer who usually trusts in God, in the details of his life, will present to him without hesitation the difficult situations, perhaps without human solution, which touch him in the depths of his affections. Let us pray with faith, with perseverance, alone or with others. God will respond in his own way and when he sees fit.

Source (The Good Seed)