READING: 1 Kings 17-18, John 7:1-24
I need to listen more to the Word as it speaks about the power of prayer. I teach about it, and I say I believe it – but I don’t always stand in amazement when I read about it in the scriptures. Today’s Old Testament reading includes stories that are likely familiar to many, like Elijah’s raising the woman’s son to life again. It’s a story of resurrection and grace, but it’s also a story of prayer. Let’s let the Word speak for itself:
- The boy became ill and died: “After this, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. His illness got worse until he stopped breathing.” (1 Kgs 17:17)
- His mother turned to Elijah to understand: “She said to Elijah, ‘Man of God, why are you here? Have you come to call attention to my iniquity so that my son is put to death?’” (1 Kgs 17:18)
- Elijah pleaded to the Lord in prayer: “Then he stretched himself out over the boy three times. He cried out to the Lord and said, ‘Lord my God, please let this boy’s life come into him again!’” (1 Kgs 17:21)
- God responded in power: “So the Lord listened to Elijah, and the boy’s life came into him again, and he lived.” (1 Kgs 17:22)
We simply can’t ignore the third and fourth bullet points in this summary of the story. Obviously, God was sovereign over the entire event, but He clearly used the prayers of Elijah to accomplish His miraculous plan. It’s as simple, yet as magnificent as this: the man of God prayed, God heard, and God answered his prayers with a miracle.
“So the Lord listened to Elijah,” the text says. The almighty God of creation actually listened to the desperate words of the prophet—a man who within chapters would be running in fear of the queen—and God brought life on the wings of those words. Prayer made the difference.
And, it still does. I just need to remember that truth.
PRAYER: “God, I know in my head that prayer matters. Drive that truth into my heart, too, so that I pray more.”
TOMORROW’S READING: 1 Kings 19-20, John 7:25-44