Kehinde A. Bolutife
“And Elijah the Tishbite who was of the inhabitants of Glead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD GOD of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain three years, but according to my word” (1Kings 17: 1). “And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying Go shew thyself unto Ahab and I will send rain upon the earth… and Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant , Go up, now look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go seven times. And it came to pass at the seven time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass in the mean while that the heaven was black with clouds and wind and there was a great rain” (1kings 18:1, 41-45).
Wow! What a wonderful prayer that was! That was what Apostle James refers to as the “effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man” which “availeth much”. And of truth, it really availed much! To be effectual means producing the result that was intended. Elijah’s prayer was so effectual that “…there was a great rain”. Your prayer is not yet effectual when it has not produced the desired and expected result and answer.
Not only was Elijah’s prayer effectual, it was also a fervent prayer- which means having or showing very strong and sincere feelings about something. How fervent and passionate are you in your prayers? When you see people praying in many Christian gathering today, you’ll discover that zeal and fervency is gone from our prayers! Little wonder our prayer avail very little if at all! We shall now look further into the prayer of Elijah to discover other crucial and indispensable elements that made his prayer the “effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man.”
Elijah’s Prayer: Prayer of a Righteous Man
“…as the Lord, God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand…”
Worthy of note in the prayer of Elijah is his right standing! No doubt Elijah was a righteous man- a man who had a right standing with God. Otherwise, God wouldn’t have heard his prayer. “Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshiper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.”This is where prayer begins from. Those who will call God “Abba, Father” must have relationship with Him. Prayer is a Father-children relationship.
So then Elijah had a right standing with God. He could stand bold and courageous before Him “Who is of a purer eye to behold iniquities” and made such a great request that there should be no rain! Obviously, Elijah had no guilt and condemnation that come from both outward and inward sins. Else, he wouldn’t have been able to stand tall before God in prayer. He knew God and God likewise recognized his person! Are you known of God? Do you have a relationship and a right standing with God? Could this be the reason why there is so much noise of prayers among Christian circles today but with little or no visible signs of answered prayers? “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the God of his salvation” (Ps. 24: 3-5).
A clean hand which symbolizes a clean outward life; and a pure heart which represents an inward life of holiness are both non-negotiable requirements if we must pray a prayer that heaven must respond to. Are your hands clean? Is your heart pure? “Behold, the LORD”s hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Sin, whether small or big will always deny a man access into the throne of grace except confessed and forsaken. Sin, wherever it is found closes the ears of God to the frantic cry of a man for help in time of need. Sin seals up heaven against the prayer of a sinner!
Do you want your prayer to be answered? Do you desire heaven’s urgent response when you call? “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thought: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” This is the counsel as well as the promise of God to sinners who desire their prayers to be answered. If our prayer must produce the desired result, we must confess every sin- outward and inward; open and secrete; known and unknown… “If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles. For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shall be steadfast, and shall not fear.” “If thou return to the Almighty, thou shall be built up, thou shall put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles…for then shall thou make thy prayer unto hi
m, and he shall hear thee, and thou shall pay thy vows” (Job 11:14-15; 22:23, 26-27).
m, and he shall hear thee, and thou shall pay thy vows” (Job 11:14-15; 22:23, 26-27).
It is therefore evidently clear from the scripture that the only solution to the problem of sin is total repentance and turning to God. Any other thing we do while still harboring sin is just a mere waste of time. Fasting, night vigils, tithes, anointing oil, or any other religious act of self righteousness will avail nothing if not backed up by the power of righteous living. It is “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man” that avails much. Are you a righteous man?
Lack of unforgiving spirit is also a great sin that hinders prayer. “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses” whenever you are praying and you remember that somebody has offended you, the instruction is, forgive! No matter how grievous the offense may be, forgive! Otherwise, your sin will not be forgiven; hence your prayers will not be answered. Let a forgiving and a tender heart rule your life and become your lifestyle. Study Matthew 18: 23-35 more closely. Even if you are righteous in other areas of your life but refuse to forgive those who offend you, that alone could send you to hell fire despite the fact that you are born again. Therefore, when you stand praying, forgive if you have anything against any. Otherwise, even your sins that were forgiven you shall be called to remembrance and your prayers will not be answered. And you will also not go to heaven.
The prayer of Elijah continues in the next episode…
