Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. (James 5:17 NAS95)
I have always wondered where James received his insight. Maybe it came from his brother, Jesus. Who knows, but here he records that Elijah prayed that it would not rain, yet when I turn to the passage in 1 Kings 17, I notice no prayer, only an announcement to King Ahab that it won’t rain. After this announcement, the phrase appears, “then the word of the Lord came to him,” to Elijah, and he does just what God asked. Maybe Jesus tied these ideas together: hearing God, prayer, and response, so James records it. He notes Elijah had a nature like ours. That encourages me to engage with God all the more. I don’t need to be perfect; I just need to engage.
Elijah shows up on the scene abruptly. He has come to let the King know fruitlessness results from worship of a god who in reality does not exist. He comes out of the blue with a message that God wants to encourage a pathway to fruitfulness. What had occurred in Elijah’s life that he could hear the word so readily? Had Elijah cultivated an ear to the Lord through His Word? Maybe Elijah believed God meant what He said in His Word through Moses’ pen (Duet 11:16-17)? What heart habits had he cultivated that discerning the voice of God and responding to it immediately flowed with ease from his life? God’s in-breaking to Elijah reflects a cultivated relationship with his Lord. Elijah could pay attention to God, hear and respond. James calls this prayer, no matter who is speaking. Maybe Jesus let James know by the example of Elijah, one with a nature like ours, the same continues as possible for you and me. I think so.
For Reflection:
“Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; for I trust in You; teach me the way in which I should walk; for to You I lift up my soul.” (Psalms 143:8 NAS95)
- How possible do you think it is to cultivate an ear for God’s voice to you? What would help you cultivate that level of familiarity with God?
- How important is responding to what you hear from God for cultivating an ear to His voice?
