The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 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 5:16–18 ESV)
This is a text that you might know very well that is the basis for many sermons about the power of prayer. But we want to go back to where this scene occurs to make sure that we are understanding correctly what James is writing to Christians about prayer. This event occurs in 1 Kings 18. In 1 Kings 18 we saw Elijah bringing Israel to Mount Carmel to show them that the Lord is God alone. God has answered Elijah by fire and the prophets of Baal have been executed, according to the word of the Lord. While we ended our study in the last lesson at this point, there is more that happens. Look at 1 Kings 18:41-46…
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