“God delights in hearing [your prayers] as well. But why? Why would our prayers matter? We can’t even get the plumber to call us back, so why would God listen to our ideas. Simple. Your prayers matter to God because you matter to God. You aren’t just anybody . . . you are his child.”- Max Lucado
“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”- James 5:16 (NLT)
In Chapter 5 (“Your Prayers Have Power”) of Unshakable Hope, Max Lucado draws insights from the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Elijah lived during a very dark time in Israel’s history- under the reign of King Ahab. Yet, even though corrupt leaders ruled and people’s hearts grew cold, Elijah’s comet was most visible against a black sky.
Most noteworthy, nine centuries later James used Elijah’s prayers as a model. In fact, it impressed James that a prayer of such power came from a person so common (James 5:17). However, Pastor Lucado notes, God heard Elijah’s prayers because he prayed earnestly, not eloquently.
Furthermore, Elijah put the Israelites in a decision posture. He asked how long they planned to waver between two opinions. In addition, the word translated waver is identical to the Hebrew word for danced in 1 Kings 18:26. Put another way, Elijah asked how long the Hebrew people would continue to dance with God, then Baal. And Elijah manifested a confident spirit due to one simple action. He prayed. Not a casual or comfortable prayer, but a radical prayer.
Today’s question: What Bible verses, hymns, Christian songs, or Christian books help you affirm that your prayers matter? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Perhaps God will do more than you imagined”
