Praying for the Country (5:17-18)

Example #3: Prayer for the Country (5:17–18)

James used Elijah as an example of a "righteous man" whose prayers had power. James 5:16 tells us that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

1 Kings 17–18 provides the background for this event. The evil King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, led the people of Israel away from God and to the worship of Baal. The nation was punished by God by not giving them the rain they needed (see Deut. 28:12, 23). The heavens were like brass for three and a half years, and the earth couldn't grow the crops that were essential for life.

Then, on Mount Carmel, Elijah fought the priests of Baal. The priests yelled at their god all day, but he didn't answer. Elijah fixed the altar and got the sacrifice ready at the time of the evening sacrifice. He prayed only once, and fire came down from heaven to burn up the sacrifice. He had shown that Jehovah was the one true God.

But the country still needed rain. Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel and knelt down to pray to the Lord. He prayed and sent his servant to look for signs of rain seven times. The seventh time, his servant saw a small cloud. Soon after, a heavy downpour occurred, saving the country.

Do we need "showers of blessing" right now? Yes, we do!

"But Elijah was a unique prophet of God," we might say. "We can expect God to answer his prayers in a great way."

James said, "Elijah was a man just like us" (5:17). He wasn't perfect; in fact, right after he won on Mount Carmel, Elijah got scared and ran away. But he was a "righteous man," which means he obeyed the Lord and had faith in Him. God's promises of answered prayer are for all of His children, not just for the ones we think are the most spiritual.

Elijah prayed in faith because God told him He would send the rain (1 Kings 18:1). Robert Law said that "prayer" does not mean getting man's will done in heaven. It's doing what God wants on earth. You can't separate prayer from the Word of God because His Word is where we find the promises we make when we pray.

Elijah not only believed in his prayers, but he also kept praying. "He prayed... and he prayed again." (James 5:17–18). Elijah kept praying for rain on Mount Carmel until his servant told him there was "a cloud the size of a man's hand." Often we don't get what God promises because we stop praying. We are not heard "for our much praying" (Matt. 6:7), but there is a difference between praying a lot and really believing in what you are praying for. Our Lord prayed three times in the garden, and Paul prayed three times for God to take away his thorn in the flesh.

Elijah was serious and worried when he prayed. "He prayed earnestly" (James 5:17). The Greek language says, "and he prayed in prayer." A lot of people don't pray when they pray. They just say religious words without really meaning them.

During a prayer meeting, a church member was "praying around the world," and one of the men there was getting bored with what he was saying. The man finally yelled, "Ask Him something! .  .  . Ask Him something!" This is what prayer is all about.

Prayer is the most powerful thing in the world right now. James 5:16 is telling us that a good man's earnest prayer gives him great power. History shows how people have gone from using manpower to horsepower to dynamite and TNT to nuclear power.

However, prayer power is more powerful than nuclear power. Elijah prayed for his country, and God heard him. We should pray for our country today, asking God to bring conviction and revival and "showers of blessing" to the land. May we as citizens always take time to pray for the people in charge of the government (1 Tim. 2:1–3).