Radical Praying

Here's an idea: praying! I'm just reading a book sent to me from a friend in America about Radical Praying and Preaching and there is mention about Elijah, so I thought some more about Elijah's praying. In his New Testament letter James says this about Elijah: 'Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.

There are a couple of things there: did you notice the word "fervently"? When was the last time you prayed fervently?

Also there's the fact that Elijah prayed for the weather and we are often told we cannot pray about the weather, but there it is in the Old Testament, with New Testament approval!

But the point the book was making was that when Elijah was praying for it to start raining he didn't just pray; he sent his servant to check the sky. Were there any clouds? No! So Elijah prayed some more (more fervently?) and sent his servant out again. It was on the 7th occasion that the servant came back and said, "a cloud no bigger than a person's hand is rising out of the sea." (1 Kings 18: 44).

And then it rained!

But what if Elijah did as we so often do and just prayed the once? Would it have rained?

What if he was a bit of an enthusiast and he prayed twice?

It took 7 times before the prayer was answered and he didn't stop praying because it was the 7th time and 7 is a biblical number. He prayed until he saw the answer to his prayer.

Could you do that? What is God not doing because you are not praying fervently enough?

Just a biblical thought!