Practice Praying

1 Kings 17:1b

As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.

Once or twice a week, I make it a point to check on my sister via phonecall. She’s on her final stretch of medical studies and almost ready-ing for her board exams. Exams - - that’s more like a weekly thing for her. One time she complained having studied a couple of books for days (and through sleepless nights) only to find ten items on the test sheet. So like Michael Phelps’ 6 hours a day 6 days a week training to bag the 50.58 record. So much effort for only a minute event. So many sacrifices for just one shot.  But those that transpired behind the stage are just as important as the main act. One never reaches the top without a climb.

Without much introduction but his place of origin, Elijah came out in chapter 17 doing big time. His first assignment? An appointment with no less than the king of Israel. At least with Moses confronting Pharaoh, we know he was once a prince of Egypt, equals the access and the orientation. But with Elijah, we’re clueless of his credentials. Next we read of his bold prophecy: no dew nor rain except at his word. No, he wasn’t a numerologist like that man who predicted  the May 21, 2011 end of the world. No maths, not science, nor anything mythical. His confidence is solely on His God who lives (unlike their lifeless idols) and who controls all things, rain included (to falsify their rain-god Baal). We may think his days after this newsflash was an idle stay at the ravine, conveniently waiting for ravens to feed him. ‘It’s now all in your hands Lord’ could be his script. But James mentioned otherwise. He wrote that Elijah prayed earnestly that it would not rain and it did not rain for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced the crops. Would you agree with me that he prayed EVERYDAY for three and a half years? And that he continued praying UNTIL the earth produced crops?  I believe that’s the clue to his credentials. He was first a prayerful man before this big assignment. For he wouldn’t have persisted in praying that long if he never experienced God answering His prayers before. It was a tried and tested confidence.

James reiterated our responsibility to back up our work and ministry with fervent prayers. I mean, we could easily cast everything on God and passively wait for His sure grand results, right? But could my sister just hold on to the truth of God’s wisdom and not study? Or should Phelps just thank God for his good built and innate skills and not bother hard training? Both know success does not happen without the words hardwork, perseverance, sacrifice. The beauty of God’s kingdom is not in His power to make things happen in a flash. Surely He can do that. But what did Bruce Almighty accomplish in clicking YES to all prayers uttered? Did it even make the people in Buffalo an inch better? Not even a single ‘thank You God’ was said right? Because their prayers are void of a relationship. It was not at all intended to glorify God. When He calls us to prayer, He intends a change from within. So that regardless of His answer, regardless of the time element - - we’ll still see His hand perfectly at work. More than His answers, He wants us to see Him. It takes practice. Exercise it. Just Do It :>