My grandmother once said, "If you're going to be a success in life, you're going to have to know how to pray." She made me pray. She didn't ask me if I wanted to or not. She just said, "Pray," so I did. Prayer gives you power.
You'll be no greater than your prayer life. Prayer is the key to the force of God's power in one's life.
I'm not talking about little prayers that say, "God bless me," then end by quoting a couple of scriptures. I'm talking about a different kind of prayer—a prayer that prevails. Prevailing prayer does not give up until heaven and earth move to cause what you want to come to pass.
Elijah knew what prevailing prayer meant. First Kings 18:42-46 says:
"So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel: and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,
"And said to his servant. Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
"And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.
"And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
"And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel."
God spoke to Elijah, instructing him to go to Ahab and tell him a few things. Elijah told Ahab what the Lord had told him to say. Then Elijah went to the top of Mount Carmel, destroyed the prophets of Baal, and prayed for rain.
Many times when God promises something, you're going to have to pray to get some movement going. God is not slack concerning His promises, but sometimes you've got to let God know you want His promise.
Elijah did just that.
Ahab went to eat, like most natural, carnal people would do. But Elijah, the prophet of God, went up on Mount Carmel to pray. After destroying the enemy, he sat on Mount Carmel, put his face between his knees, and began to call on the Name of God, reminding Him of what He had promised.
James 5:17 and 18 says:
"Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are. and HE PRAYED EARNESTLY that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
"And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit."
Elijah prayed earnestly to stop the rain. Then he prayed earnestly to get the rain started again. It worked. God answered his prayers. In developing a relationship with God, you're going to have to do some earnest praying to let God know you mean business and you really want His promises.
Jeremiah 33:3 says,
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."
That's exciting to think about: Call on God's Name. He'll answer you and show you the great and mighty things you don't know about yet. I like that.
Sometimes when I go into meetings, I just call on God —that's all I do. He answers. He shows up. He does what He says in His Word.
If people don't pray, they won't make it in life. Pray, pray, pray!
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