Page 69 - GRACE

GRACE, Exploring Its Riches

Elijah serves as an Old Testament example of what it
requires to be righteous before God, to be fervent in prayers
and thereby become powerful in the place of prayer.

“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he
prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did

not rain on the land for three years and six
months. And he prayed again, and the heaven
gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit”
(James 5:17-18).

The fervent prayer of a righteous person is bound to be
powerful. A prayer is powerful only when the grace of God
is working and flowing through it and through the person
or people involved in it. An example in the early church
comes to mind. The disciples of Jesus had just been
threatened by the religious and political leaders of Israel
who were against any gospel preaching in the name of
Jesus, whom they had crucified. When Peter and John were
released by the leaders of Israel they went back to their
spiritual company and searched the Scriptures for
prophetic utterances about their situation. When they
located what the Scriptures said, they acted on God’s word
– not their circumstances: the threats to their lives, nor was
there any desire in their minds for vengeance against their
detractors. This singular act of standing on sound
Scriptures, with a heart devoted to doing God’s will alone,
made them righteous before God. They prayed so fervently

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