Elijah was a man just like us

Teaching tonight on James 5:13-18. I found the reference to Elijah’s prayer interesting for several reasons.

• He prayed “earnestly.” This probably means he prayed over a long period of time.

• He prayed according to promises of God:
  
  Deuteronomy 11:16

  "Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods and worship them. Or the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its fruit…”

• The prayer cost Elijah his own personal comfort. He had to trust God’s provision for his life if his prayer came true.
  
  
• The prayer was designed to prove that the false gods were powerless, and thus draw the people back to true worship.
  
  
• The prayer had power over the natural elements—the weather—and James uses it as an example for us today.
  
  
• Elijah saw one of the most powerful demonstrations of God’s power against the priests of Baal in the history of Israel as the fruit of his prayer.