Connecting Belief To Life Through Prayer

Most of us would agree that prayer is important to forming and keeping a close relationship with God. But prayer can be a source of frustration and guilt, because we often feel like we don’t do it right, never do it enough.

If our goal is to become more effective pray-ers, Elijah is a good place to start.

It’s clear in Scripture that Elijah had an intimate and effective prayer life. His prayers resulted in changed behavior, more courage, more bold declarations of faith. God did some pretty impressive things through Elijah. And isn’t that what we want - to serve God with boldness and courage that makes a difference?

Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground
and put his face between his knees. “Go and look toward the sea,”
he told his servant. And he went up and looked. “There is nothing there,” he said.
Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.” And the seventh time the servant reported,
“A cloud as big as a man’s hand is raising from the sea.” So Elijah said,
“Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’”
1 Kings 18:42b-44

Four qualities of effective prayer that we see in this passage:

1. Elijah was humble. He climbed the mountain to be alone with God – he didn’t pray out loud in front of everyone and make his connection with God a spectacle. Elijah didn’t feel adequate, but he knew that God was more than adequate.

“Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up.”
James 4:10

2. Elijah was specific. His was no vague, wishy-washy, rambling prayer.

You want something but don’t get it. …
You do not have because you do not ask God.
James 4:2

How often do we struggle with something we want, trying every which way to get it. But did we ask God? Elijah didn’t have any problem asking for what was needed.

3. Elijah was persistent. He kept telling his servant to go back and look again – seven times.

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
James 5:16b

If we know God, know His character, are convinced of His love for us, and understand His purpose for our life, then persistence in prayer will be possible.

4. Elijah was expectant. He just knew it was going to happen! And after the smallest indication of this, he responded like it was a done deal.

…whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it
and it will be yours.
Mark 11:24

This is not about God being a genie in a bottle. What was Elijah expecting? To have people who had turned away from God, turn back to Him.

Restoring, redeeming and building up the broken – that’s what we can expect. Those are the purposes of God, the things that make this life matter.

What are the obstacles to effective prayer?

1. Praying for my purposes, not God’s. We need to ask ourselves: Is what we’re asking for connected to God’s purposes – or is it just what we think He should do?

2. Our habits, ritual and traditions often rob authenticity and intimacy.
We can get into ruts, praying the same way, not really listening, not really engaging.

3. Too infrequent, inconsistent prayer. Don’t wait till you can find that block of daily quiet time – it would be good but it’s not necessary. We need to talk to Him wherever, whenever, on a moment by moment, day by day basis.

4. Self focused instead of others/purpose-focused As long as we are focusing on
our own interests we will have difficulty aligning our life with God through prayer.

Life on earth is short.
If we want to care about what God cares about
and be bold enough to take courageous action,
the way is through prayer.

_______________________________

Application Thoughts:

How may pride have crept into your prayers or your attitudes toward prayer?

Is there something that you have stopped praying about – stopped reaching for? Is it time to rethink that?

Do you pray specifically? Expectantly?

Are your prayers aligned with God’s purposes of redeeming and restoring the broken, that people would know the hope they have in Him and that they experience care and unconditional love?

How may you be getting in your own way, when it comes to becoming an effective pray-er?

Are your prayers more about you, then about others and God’s purposes?

What three things can you do today that would most help you in discovering more effective prayer?

 

Feel free to forward this article.