The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

James 5:16

Elisabeth Elliott wrote that “prayer is something to be engaged in, not indulged in.”

When people ask you to pray for a specific need, there is an exception that we will pray – not talk about praying or sharing the details with others. Simply pray, because the “prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

In the verse above, James reminds us that prayer is powerful way to communicate with God. He draws from the example of Elijah –

“Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops”

James 5:17-18

We can take note of two things in this passage.

1) Elijah was not a literal superhero. He is listed as one of the great Old Testament prophets and is a personal favorite of mine, but he was still a human being, with all the failings anyone of us can experience. He sometimes lacked confidence. He was sometimes discouraged, but he believed God would answer his prayers.

2) Elijah prayed. James used the word earnestly to describe the prayer of Elijah. He was serious. He was intense. He was committed to prayer.

Let’s be engaged.