through
Prayer: Passage: 1
Kings 17:17-24 (Intercessory Prayer)
Elijah’s
intervention this morning on behalf of the widow at Zarephath teaches us that –
we can change others’ lives simply by praying.
At one
point or another everyone faces disappointments, obstacles, and circumstances
that seem impossible to overcome. Whether it’s a struggling marriage, health
crisis, financial loss, wounds from our past, or something else altogether, life’s struggles leave us desperate for a breakthrough.
God sees you, He hears you, and He is ready to respond. But breakthroughs don’t
happen spontaneously, they happen when you seek them. And the way you seek them
is through prayer.
The
Setting: After the prophet’s bold proclamation before King Ahab,
God dramatically changed the trajectory of Elijah’s ministry. Instead of public
ministry in Samaria, God sent him into the wilderness, then into the very land
of Jezebel where he ministered to a widow and her son. Instead of the widow’s
preparing a last meal, God miraculously provided food—and life. So, Elijah stays
with the widow and her son, giving them the opportunity to feed on the truth of
God.
1
Kings 17:17-18
17
Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew
worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. 18 She said to Elijah, “What do
you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill
my son?”
The
bible says even when God has done a miracle in our lives, our troubles may not
be over. The famine was a terrible experience, but the worst was yet to come.
God’s provision is never given in order to let us rest upon it. We need to
depend on Him as each new trial faces us.
1. Hardship is an opportunity to trust God.
·
Life, at times, seems unfair, with hardship
after hardship falling upon us. Our response to those times becomes a
reflection of our view of God. Rather than blame God for what is wrong, we must
learn to trust God to do what is right. Taking measures to grow in our faith
will prepare us for times of struggle.
What
is your initial reaction to hardships or unwanted news?
What
have you learned about trusting God when difficult news comes?
God
had something to say to the widow at Zarephath. He wanted to show her something
about Himself. She would soon learn to know God as her deliverer. Her deepest
suffering was an opportunity to trust God and witness His power. When it seems
all is lost, we are perfectly positioned to turn to God and discover He is the
answer to the questions that have no other answer.
1
Kings 17:19-21
19
“Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to
the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. 20 Then he cried
out to the Lord, “Lord my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am
staying with, by causing her son to die?” 21 Then he stretched himself out on
the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy’s
life return to him!”
We can
always find reasons to stay out of other people’s problems. Sometimes people
take advantage of us. Sometimes we just don’t have the resources to fix what’s
broken. Their problems may seem too big, or their troubles too deep. Quite often,
we have enough problems of our own. Elijah certainly did. He had angered Ahab
and Jezebel, and had surely troubled a lot of his neighbors, by bringing
drought. In spite of all he was facing, Elijah stepped into the widow’s suffering
and joined her in her pain. While he could do nothing in his own power to
restore her loss, Elijah knew the God who does the impossible, so the prophet
took it up with Him in prayer.
2. Service
to others includes interceding on their
behalf.
·
Interceding for others is faith moving forward into
the unknown even when we struggle with doubts or questions. We serve through
prayer when we pray specifically to the Lord. We serve through prayer when we
seek opportunities to intercede on behalf of others whose needs are great but
whose faith is weak.
Elijah
is an example of an effective pray-er. “The prayer of a righteous person is
powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed
earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and
a half years. He possessed no miraculous powers in himself. He had no greater
authority with God than we do, but he believed God could do anything. And he
dared to ask God for the impossible: “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return
to him!”
PRAYER PLAN
Develop
a prayer plan. Fill in the blanks and consider these important matters this
week.
I would like to pray
more consistently about____________.
_______________is a
person I can pray more regularly for.
_______________is a
time/place where I can take time to focus and pray.
The top 3 things I’d
like to pray about this week are:
1.___________________________________
2.___________________________________
3.___________________________________
Write
out and tape that list in a place where you will see it daily.
“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers,
intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people.”
1
TIMOTHY 2:1
1
Kings 17:22-24
22 The
Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. 23
Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house.
He gave him to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!” 24 Then the
woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word
of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”
God is
not a divine Santa Claus who grants our every wish. God is not beholden to do
our bidding just because we ask, but He invites us to participate with Him in
helping others. He encourages us to intercede on their behalf. And He moves to
respond to the prayers of His people.
3. God’s
answers to our prayers can influence
others to turn to Him.
·
God is attentive to the prayers of His people.
God is the giver of life. God can work though our lives to accomplish His will
and to bring others into a right relationship with Him.
Often
God’s “yes” is aimed at a higher purpose. Through His response to our prayer,
He reveals something of His nature and fosters our faith. We see that when
Elijah presented the widow with her revived child and declared, “Look, your son
is alive!” Her first words were, “Now I know. . . .” At last she knew God is
real, and Elijah was His spokesperson. It was not just her son who came to
life. Faith also came to life in the widow through Elijah’s answered prayer.
Living in a culture of Baal worshipers, the widow awakened to the truth. Yahweh
alone is the true and faithful God!
Perhaps
more people around us would come to faith if we, like Elijah, dared to ask God
for the impossible. When we pray, God responds, and when God responds, it
points to Him.
Wrap
It Up
To
illustrate His point James cited the experience of the prophet Elijah. He “was
a man subject to like passions as we are.” He had a nature like ours. He had
his flaws and weaknesses but still his earnest praying was effective, for he prayed
in faith, trusting the Lord. For that you and I can be grateful. God does not
just hear and respond to the prayers of “super saints”; His ear is attentive to
all who come before Him in righteousness. Therefore, let us pray.
The idea that power is inherent in prayer is a very popular one. According to the Bible, the power of prayer is, quite simply, the power of God, who hears and answers prayer.
The
power of prayer does not flow from us; it is not special words we say or the
special way we say them or even how often we say them. The power of prayer is
not based on a certain direction we face or a certain position of our bodies.
The power of prayer does not come from the use of artifacts or icons or candles
or beads. The power of prayer comes from the omnipotent One who hears our
prayers and answers them. Prayer places us in contact with Almighty God, and we
should expect almighty results, whether or not He chooses to grant our
petitions or deny our requests. Whatever the answer to our prayers, the God to
whom we pray is the source of the power of prayer, and He can and will answer
us, according to His perfect will and timing.
Have
you discovered the power of prayer?
Prayer
is a mighty weapon at the disposal of every man or woman who loves God, and
knows His son Jesus Christ. I once heard prayer described as guided missile
that can be launched from anywhere on the face of the planet at any target, and
there is no defense against it. Satan can’t stop your prayers. The enemy would
rather have you do anything else than pray. Prayer is a conversation with God
in which you seek His face and His hand. Seeking God’s face is about a
relationship with God, while seeking His hand is about seeing results in
prayer. There is nothing like a consistent prayer life that will move your
faith from the realm of a religion into a true relationship with Christ. Prayer
also energizes the heart of a believer through the power of the Spirit.
Consistent
prayer also releases the power of God’s blessing on your life and
circumstances. Jesus said, “When you pray, go into your room, close the door
and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done
in secret will reward you,” (Matthew 6:6). The person who develops a secret
life of prayer with Christ is promised reward from the Father. A consistent
rhythm of meeting with the Father in prayer brings blessing and favor upon the
individual. If you don’t believe that yet, let me share another verse. In
Hebrews, it says, “And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because
anyone who comes to Him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those
who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). This is just one more verse that talks
about God’s reward for the person who is seeking after him. Can you imagine
what it would be like to have the reward of the Father in your life? That can
be yours. You can have that as you learn to meet with Jesus through prayer in
the secret place. As you learn to talk to the Lord, you will discover the
blessing of the Lord.
Prayer
will also result in God’s power to bring about change. James said, “The prayer
of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). Have you ever taken
a magnifying glass and used it harness the sun’s power? I remember as a kid
burning holes in a leaf with a magnifying glass. You could somehow harness the
sun rays and focus them on one little place on the planet, and cause a leaf to
burn. Prayer is like that magnifying glass. It allows the believer to harness
all the power of Christ and focus His mighty power upon one place, person, or
circumstance on the planet. This is the awesome power of prayer that we so
often neglect. A consistent life of prayer will set a spiritual fire around
you.
Without
prayer, you will not fully receive all that God has provided for you. God has
set up his Kingdom in a way that we must consistently come to Him in a
relationship, seek Him personally, and ask Him to be at work in us and our
circumstances. The Lord wants us to continually invite Him into our lives,
surrender to Him, and to seek His power. James said, “You do not have because
you do not ask God” (James 4:2). I am fully convinced that the Lord has
blessings for you and your life that He has chosen to withhold from you until
you come to Him in prayer. He is not going to give all that He has for you
unless you really connect with Him in a relationship. And that’s the Word.
