Power to the People: The Power of Prayer
We’re back with the 4th and final message in our August series, Power to the People. Throughout the month, we’ve been discovering how God’s power can be applied and carried out in our everyday lives. This week, Pastor Eric Jones delivers a message on The Power of Prayer and starts by sharing two foundational scriptures with us as our guiding theme.
James 5:16-18 (NKJV) 16Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
In this passage, James is writing to the church he pastors in the New Testament. This church is made up of believers who converted from Judaism to Christianity. In the letter he’s writing them, he reminds and encourages the church about the unmatchable power of prayer. Take a look at how the Amplified Bible portrays this verse:
James 5:16 (AMPC) The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].
As James opens our minds to the power of prayer, he calls our attention to a story in the Old Testament about Elijah the Prophet when Israel was facing a three-and-a-half year drought. Check it out:
1 Kings 18:41-46 (NKJV) 41Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” 42So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 43and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”
44Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’ ” 45Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. 46Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
Be encouraged today! Like Elijah, we too can actually see God’s tremendous, dynamic, and effective power at work in our day-to-day lives. When we are in seasons of life where we could use some rain–we’ve been frustrated, discouraged, disappointed, or questioning where God is in all the things that we’ve been facing–when we’re in need of God’s power, let this message be a reminder of The Power of Prayer!
The Power of Prayer
In the beginning of his message, Pastor Eric shares a recent heartwarming story about his daughter Olive and a near-tragedy with her best friend, Teddy. His reflection vividly portrays an honest image of prayer that we can all learn from! Sometimes, it’s easy for us to overcomplicate prayer with rules and regulations and locations and practices. The truth is, prayer isn’t all that complicated!
A lot of times, prayer looks like us simply crying out to God saying, “Help me! I cannot do this on my own. I need your power to come and work in my life!” God is in heaven just waiting for us to cry out to Him in our times of need so that He can step into our situation and be moved to work on our behalf. There’s power in prayer–praise the Lord!
In the New Testament, James encourages us to reflect on the Old Testament story of Elijah to help us better understand how prayer actually works. In The Power of Prayer, Pastor Eric gives us some helpful backstory about who Elijah is and why his history with prayer is relevant to us still today.
To summarize, the evil king Ahab forced the Israelites to worship idols, Baal in particular. Elijah prayed to God that there would be no rain, and there wasn’t any for three-and-a-half years. In a climactic showdown, there’s a battle between the idol god and the One True God. As we all know, God gets all the honor and glory He deserves as His power is unleashed and the rain comes following Elijah’s prayer.
In the New Testament, James tries to communicate to us that Elijah was no more special or holy than any of the rest of us. Elijah had all the same doubts and fears and insecurities and questions that we have–he was a normal guy. The rain didn’t come because of who Elijah was; the rain came because he prayed. There is power in prayer! Amen!
We will all find ourselves in seasons where we’re stuck, struggling, in a season of drought. What saves us from those challenges and difficulties? Is it our effort, our ability, our wisdom, our strategy? Of course not! The power is found within prayer. It’s time to stop doing things on our own and invite God to help us in our times of need!
There’s 3 key points we can learn about The Power of Prayer from Elijah’s story that we can then apply to our lives every single day. The 3 takeaways we’re discovering in part 4 of Power to the People are 1) Climb the Mountain 2) Don’t Stop at 6 and 3) Prepare Your Chariot. Here’s what Scripture has to say about each of these points:
1. Climb the Mountain
1 Kings 18:41-42 (NKJV) 41Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” 42So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees,
The first thing we can learn from Elijah about prayer is that we must choose to climb the mountain and pray–we must make a decision to be prayers. God is looking for those who are willing to pray!...Not the best looking people, not the strongest people, not the most academically gifted. God is hunting the earth for people to His will in heaven done here through prayers–He’s looking for those who are willing to pray.
If we want to experience God’s power in prayer, it starts with an active willingness to pray and open our hearts and our mouths to say, “Father, help us!” So often we find ourselves in the midst of a problem and do everything in our own power to fix it. We see every doctor, every specialist, we make pros and cons lists, we call our friends, we research solutions and then, after all those things haven’t worked, then we pray.
Prayer is not meant to be our last resort; it’s meant to be our first response! Let’s be people who immediately turn to our Heavenly Father in times of need and say, “Lord, I know I can try in my own strength but instead I’m going to lean on you and pray for You to be at work in my life.” Amen!
Philippians 4:6 (NKJV) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
God’s ears bend low to the voice of a prayer!
James 4:1-2 (NKJV) 1Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
It’s time to start asking, start praying! There’s nothing too small, nothing too big for God. He cares about every single care of ours. He just wants us to pray, to talk with Him, to work with Him.
1 Kings 18:1 (NKJV) And it came to pass after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.”
Elijah’s prayer was answered because it was in alignment with God’s Word. Elijah received God’s Word and aligned his prayer with it and the power of God was released. There is power in the Word; there is power in prayer.
1 John 5:14-15 (NKJV) 14Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
We can have confidence when we pray according to God’s Word! This is The Power of Prayer! God’s Word is living and active and He has promised, in His Word, to do what He has said. When we need God’s power, we climb to the mountain, we open the Word, and we start praying what He has promised…Then, power is released. The power is not in the praying; the power is in His Word!
Discussion:
How do we align our prayers with God’s Word?
What does “climbing the mountain” look like in your own life?
What action steps can we take to release the power of God?
2. Don’t Stop at Six
1 Kings 18:43-44 (NKJV) 43and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.” 44Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!”
Many of us have prayed something according to God’s Word and then been frustrated and discouraged because we didn’t see the results. We think God will do what He said He would do and we pray and do all the right things but don’t understand why things didn’t happen according to our timetable.
We are responsible for the praying; God is responsible for the timing. God gives us promises in His Word, He calls us to pray, but it is on His timing that the promise is fulfilled. So often, when we get a promise from God but don’t see things change immediately or instant results to prayer, we quickly throw away our faith. Don’t get discouraged–don’t stop at 6!
Hebrews 6:12 (NKJV) …Imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Elijah exemplifies for us the importance of standing by faith on God’s promises, even when we don’t see the results right away. Take note–Elijah only prayed once; he sent his servant to go and look seven times. The point being, Elijah stood like a rock on his faith and did not get discouraged by the fact that there was not a cloud yet.
As Christians, we often miss this point and find ourselves begging God to answer our prayers. This does not embody the New Testament God! He’s a good Father, who hears us when we ask according to His will. He hears us when we pray; being in a season of patience does not mean it’s time to lose faith…it means it’s time to stand firm in it. If God said He will do it, He. Will. Do. It! God is working even if we don't see it. We see a perfect example of this truth in The Lesson of the Withered Fig Tree in the book of Mark:
Mark 11:12-14 (NKJV) 12Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. 13And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.
Mark 11:20-24 (NKJV) 20Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.”
22So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Discussion:
Share a time when you prayed in accordance with God’s will and found yourself in a season of patience.
Was your faith tested? How was your timeline different than God’s timeline?
Looking back, how did God’s timing encourage you to trust in His perfect plan moving forward?
3. Prepare Your Chariot
Elijah got God’s word. He climbed the mountain to pray. He stood firm in his faith and didn’t stop at six. And finally, Elijah got moving.
1 Kings 18:44-45 (NKJV) 44Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’ ” 45Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.
Many of us may struggle to believe that a cloud the size of a man’s hand was going to do much damage. Not Elijah! He knew that his faith couldn’t just be internal; his faith had to produce action in his life.
Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV) For we walk by faith, not by sight.
There’s times in our lives when we’ve prayed God’s word, we’re standing our ground, and now we have to make a physical declaration of what we are believing God for as if we already had it. That’s faith! Elijah perfectly exemplifies that for us.
If we wait until every detail, every question, everything we want to see to take place before we make a move…that’s not what God is talking about when He talks about faith. Forward movement is done by faith, not by what is seen in the natural.
Listen to the ending of The Power of Prayer; Pastor Eric shares a personal story highlighting what faith actually looks like; what it means to prepare your chariot. We have to make outward decisions that are in alignment with what we are believing God for. The life of faith requires us to start walking by what we believe, not what we see. It’s time to make a move that is in alignment with what we’ve prayed for. Amen!
Discussion:
What are you believing God for right now in your life?
What have you been praying for and sitting on, waiting for more clarity?
What action step can you take in faith today?
James 5:16-18 (NKJV) 16Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
It’s time to pray! Let’s get ready to see the power of God at work! Amen!
Prayer:
Father, we love you. What a privilege it is to gather around your Word! Lord, we pray that as we look into Scripture, You will speak to us. Give us ears to listen and hearts to understand. Help us to walk, talk, live, and look more and more like Jesus each passing day. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen!
