What is Your Source of Power?

Word, Heart & Mind #398 James 5:17-18

James 5:17-18

¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.

Soon after my family relocated to SE Michigan around 1970, my mother went for a walk in the neighborhood. A few blocks in, she found a church with a large brick sign by the sidewalk. It listed the weekly services and referred to the Wednesday night prayer meeting as the "Hour of Power." She liked that so much that we visited the following Sunday and started attending regularly shortly after.

Prayer is truly the believer's source of power. In our text today, James continues to emphasize the power of prayer. Elijah, one of the four Old Testament figures referenced by James, is well known to us. Although God used Elijah mightily in many miracles and in defeating idolatry, he was still human, like you and me. The events of Elijah's life exemplify his faithfulness and humanity. There is an often-quoted thought by J. C. Ryle that reminds us, "The best of men are men at best." James says this was true of Elijah. The power in prayer is seen through God, not the achievements of man.

Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall certainly be neither dew nor rain during these years, except by my word.” Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 1 Kings 17:1-3 NASB

As discussed last Tuesday, we must consider the entire counsel of God (Scripture) if we are to understand and apply it. Prophets made their pronouncements based on God's instructions; this is not some miracle Elijah thought up on a whim just because he wanted to get even with Ahab for leading Israel into idolatry. He was working on direct orders from the Lord "before whom I stand." Prophets were specifically chosen to declare God's intentions. Prayers were answered as a fulfillment of God's directive.

Miracles recorded in Scripture serve as a foundation for belief in God's power, authority, and preeminence. Today, we have clear evidence of this in Scripture, and our call today is not to seek signs by praying for miracles (Matt 16:4 'An evil and adulterous generation wants a sign; and so a sign will not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah. And He left them and went away.') but to trust in the resurrection of Christ (the sign of Jonah). Our foundation of faith is not based on signs, but on unwavering, genuine faith: faith plus nothing.

Do miracles still occur today? I believe they do, though not as dramatically as those described in Scripture or as we might hope to see in our lives. To me, a miracle happens when God acts outside of His natural laws for all creation. This can happen without us understanding what God is doing or how He accomplishes it. When we are amazed by an unexpected turn of events, we often say "God really showed up!" or "What a God moment!" I understand the sentiment, but every moment is actually a God moment—God doesn't "show up"; He is already present. Instead of focusing on how God answers our prayers, we should work on our righteousness and faith, rather than pinning our hopes on extraordinary answers.

Before we complain that God doesn't answer prayers like He did for Elijah, we must first examine ourselves. Perhaps our faith, righteousness, and unconditional commitment to God need some refinement.

Miracles can and do happen. When they do, we should praise him with all the fervency of our prayers! If they do not, we must find contentment and rest in God's sovereignty. We can always trust him for the best results. Always.