If He Can Do It, So Can We

“Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.” (Jas 5:17 AV)

James is encouraging his audience to pray, especially for the faults of one another.  The implication is the sickness of a few verses earlier is a sickness caused by sin.  The instruction is to pray over the one who is sick, seeking a confession of sin, so the ill one can recover.  One might think they are not worthy to offer prayers on behalf of the ailing because of wicked struggles within their own hearts.  Yet James dispels that feeling by mentioning Elijah.  Elijah prayed that it would not rain during the reign of Ahab.  There was no rain for three years.  He prayed again and rain came by the buckets full.  One would be naïve the think Elijah was perfect and that God heard him because he had never sinned.  Not so.  This same Elijah would quit on God.  The point is, if God would hear the prayers of someone who would eventually quit on Him, surely He would hear our prayers. 

Why is it that we think others are far more spiritual than we are?  The proper way to lock at it is no one is a spiritual giant among men. We are all subject to the same passions.  Both Peter and Paul testify to the same reality.  Paul said, “And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:” (Ac 14:15 KJV)  It is not out of the ordinary to think others do not struggle as we do.  What is fascinating is the previous verses to this one encourage confession of faults one to another.  If we truly did this, we would find out we are not all that different from most others.  We would find out that we struggle with the flesh just as much as our brothers in Christ.  They nay not be the same sins.  But they are sins nonetheless.  Since we think we struggle more than others, we also assume our prayers are hindered more than others.  Again, that is foolish thinking.  The Bible teaches as along as we confess and forsake, then the LORD hears us.  The example is Elijah.

The issue at hand is not the character of our past.  It is the faith of the present.  When we stop to think what made the men of the old testament different from others it was not necessarily their overall character.  It was there faith.  In particular, their faith in the mercy and power of God.  David is my example.  He made serious mistakes.  Both personal and profession mistakes.  Some of these mistakes cost others their lives.  There was also Jeremiah who quit on God.  There was Jonah who fled the will of God.  There was Solomon who went after strange gods.  There was Ezra who allowed the people to intermarry with the heathen.  Time after time, the men of God messed up.  The compromised their character.  But again, what set them apart was not a perfect testimony.  What set them apart was their deep faith in a loving and merciful God to whom they owed everything.  It is this faith that overcomes personal failure and brings power with God in prayer.  If Elijah could keep rain from falling for three years despite his weakened demeanor, then surely we can have power with God, too.