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May grace take you from mercy drops to the abundance of showers of blessing as we continue to dwell upon the promise of God that declares The Lord bless you from Zion; And may you see the peace, the prosperity of Jerusalem, all the days of your life. [Psalms 128:5,6] His blessing is one of godly growth in your life, that is transformational, a progressive change in your inner being, as by a craving for the pure word of God as spiritual milk, divine desires are birthed in you. And through prayer, they become reality in your life, for the prayer of the righteous has great power and brings wonderful results, or accomplishes much. [James 5:16]
And it makes all the difference, when it comes to your prayer, as compared to what the people of the world mean by the very same word! It will be seen in your trusting, resting, and rejoicing in the knowledge that the God of your salvation will certainly make your feet like that of the deer, however weak you may be feeling right now. For, as the word of God, in all honesty, goes on to elaborate, the prophet Elijah, whose prayers definitely accomplished much, was equally vulnerable when it came to experiencing weakness, doubt, and discouragement. He was a man of like passions as you and I, and not a superman or superhero. [Verse 17] But, he prayed to a supernatural God and prayed earnestly when he faced challenging circumstances. It is what you and I need to do too. And then, he –
And yet, the answer to his prayer did not appear on the horizon. The status quo remained unchanged. But Elijah had the impetus, the encouragement to pray again, to wait upon the Lord, for he had the confidence that the word that God had spoken to him, His promise, would certainly come to pass. The answer was delayed, there was no change in the situation maybe, but God was changing Elijah on the inside, developing an attitude of patience in him, perseverance being the action that was seen outside. Patience is who you are, and perseverance is what you do is how it can be expressed, establishing the truth that God is more interested in your being than in your doing. And there is a vital reason; it is your being that will sustain your doing when the road becomes tough and unexpected. It is where the role of spiritual gifts and the fruit of the Spirit come into play. Some of the Spiritual gifts could appear glamorous and are truly to be welcomed, but one needs to identify one’s gifting, to then walk in it. But when it comes to the fruit of the Spirit, all nine of them need to be present in every believer, for true believing, affects your being, to be reflected in your doing, for one cannot pretend for long about who he is. It will only result in frustration.
In such a situation how you can pray again, can be seen in the life of David. For you O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel have made this revelation to your servant, saying,’ I will build you a house’. Therefore your servant has found the courage to pray this prayer to you. [2 Samuel 7:27] Indeed, when God gives you His word of promise, you can be encouraged to pray with confidence. The challenge lies though, when nothing seems to be happening in answer to your prayer. But the delay need not find you discouraged for God even through it all can lead you in His ways that are higher to what is unimaginably greater, what you could never foresee. And the Lord who was compassionately aware of every painful situation that people go through in life, addressed it in a parable to drive home the truth in the hearts of people that one ought to pray without growing weary or giving up. [Luke 18:1-8]
Even the judge, who was unrighteous, and did not care about doing what was right, ultimately did what the widow was persistently asking for, without giving up on her cause, just to be rid of her continual coming that was an irritation to him. And if that was so how different it would be when you are praying to a righteous God, who always does what is right, and moreover you are rightly related to Him. Indeed He waits only that you may become mature and complete in Him by faith. He is an on-time God, who will act speedily to give you justice, for He is a righteous God, who will act rightly, and at the right time. And it is your faith in a faithful God that leads to faithful prayer that does not give up but perseveres, with thankfulness for who He is.
And in a world system where justice is skewed and finds the innocent imprisoned, and the guilty going free, He can bypass or overrule the world system to bring about justice in your circumstance, as you pray, pray again, and persevere even as Elijah did. ‘But be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world’, are the words of comfort in times of trouble that the Savior has spoken, referring to the world system. [John 16:33] He will bring justice to defend, protect, and avenge wrongdoing against you. It is also true that only He brings about any lasting change in your life, your responsibility being to put your trust in Him, the rewarder of your faith.
Prayer is the right thing, as you do it right, and do it right through, fixing your eyes on Him, who is the author and perfector of your faith. It is the fuel with which you overcome difficulties and challenges. Faith comes as you hear the word of God continually, as He guides you step by step, to teach you, and reveal to you what He has in store for you. It was what Abraham experienced as he stepped out in obedience to sacrifice his son of promise, to hear once again from the Lord, as he raised his sword, to learn that God was going to offer His own Son as atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. It becomes especially relevant when contradictions occur, as Elijah found out in his journey with the Lord.
And it all began with the word that came to him, concerning what he needed to do, for His word is more than sufficient to take you from nothing to something, to everything. [1 kings 18:1] He went up to Mount Carmel humbling himself to pray unto the Lord that rain may come, according to His word. [Verse 42] The servant found no sign of it. There was nothing. But Elijah prayed again, and again, seven times, persisting in faith. [Verse 43] Then there was something, a cloud the size of a man’s hand. [Verse 44]
And then the sky grew black with clouds, and there was great rain. [Verse 45] The righteous man prays, and prays, not pressured though but giving thanks, for it is a pleasure to God to bless him, by making His promise a personal experience. For, He who has promised is faithful, and He has made everything beautiful in its time. Father, we thank thee for your promise, your word that teaches us, to persevere, without grumbling or complaining, but trusting in you completely, throwing our full weight on thee. May we be filled with the spirit of prayer, to be fueled with thanksgiving, knowing that what you have promised will surely come to pass, that you may be glorified. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
