The Prayer of Faith
1 Kings 18:41-46
A committed and consistent prayer life is essential for every believer who wants to grow in his relationship with Christ. Yet so many Christians struggle in this area. What is hindering us?
No Burden: Being diligent is easy when we feel passionate about our request. We will storm the gates of heaven when a loved one is sick, but once the urgency is past, so is the prayer. We drift back into apathy.
No Time: We’re busy and can see no way
to squeeze in regular prayer time without a drastic rearrangement of our schedule.
No Apparent Answer: We’ve tried praying, but God just doesn’t seem to answer. Thinking, It’s a waste of time, we give up.
James 5:16-18 tells us that Elijah was a righteous man whose effective prayer accomplished much. He was passionate and persistent because he knew God intimately and believed that He would answer. Past answers to prayer and time spent in His presence had strengthened the prophet’s absolute trust in the Lord.
When Elijah first began to pray on the mountain, there was no apparent answer, and yet he continued to seek the Lord. God is always working around us whether we perceive it or not. Eyes of faith can see His presence and involvement even when there’s no tangible evidence.
God did not design prayer as simply an avenue for requests; spending time in conversation with our heavenly Father is meant to help us know and love Him. Then, as we grow in passion for the Lord, spending time with Him will be a delight, and life turns into an adventure of faith.
