Pray Like Elijah 8-31-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the King of kings and Lord of lords. Be King and Lord of my life and throughout my day. ... "The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest" (James 5:16-18). You used Elijah's life to turn the hearts of many people to You. And it comforts me and encourages me to remember that he was just a man, "a human being like us." But You led him to pray Your Kingdom prayers and You led him to speak Your Kingdom words. You gave him courage to speak boldly to governmental authorities (1 Kings 17:1). You gave him compassion to speak hopefully to the weary and suffering (v. 17:13-14). You gave him tenacity to confront the spiritual forces of wickedness in the authority of Your name, dependence upon Your power, and reliance upon Your strategies (v. 18:20-40). And at the same time, he wrestled with his own fears and insecurities at times (v. 19:3). Sometimes he even wrestled with discouragement and doubt (v. 19:4). Though he was one of Your prophetic voices to the people his generation, he didn't have all the answers and sometimes was mistaken about the answers he thought he had (v. 19:10). "Elijah was a human being like us." But in Your sovereignty You have chosen to move on the earth through the prayers of Your people. "The heavens are the Lord's heavens, but the earth He has given to human beings" (Psalm 115:16; see Matthew 16:18-19). You want our words to be anointed and our prayers to be "powerful and effective." And it's no excuse to say, "I'm no Elijah," because he was just a human being like us. It's no excuse to say, "I can't pray the prayers of the righteous, I'm not righteous," because the blood of the Lamb "cleanses us from all unrighteousness" when we turn our hearts and turn over our sins to You, so that in Christ "we might become the righteousness of God" (1 John 1:9; 2 Corinthians 5:21). So "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). Give us both humility to know "we do not know how to pray as we ought" and the faith to know "the Spirit helps us in our weakness" (Romans 8:26). Like Elijah, we are just human beings, but we are also sons and daughters of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. And the children of God will be led by the Spirit of God, as we pray the prayers You move on our hearts to pray and speak the words You move on our hearts to speak (Romans 8:14). All by Your grace, we trust and we obey. That's how Your Kingdom comes and Your will is done on earth as it is in heaven. Like Elijah, let us be found faithful to do our part in our generation with the words and prayers You desire to release through each of us. Teach us how to pray like Elijah. And teach us how to pray like the sons and daughters of God we are. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'm leading a Prayer Revival each night at 7pm through Wednesday at Westside Community United Methodist Church south of Danville, KY. There was incredible city-wide unity last night that always brings the blessing and anointing of the Lord (Psalm 133). If you're in the area, come join us if you can and pray for us if you can't. We're expecting a major spiritual breakthrough in Kentucky this year, and I pray the same for your region and nation. God bless you! Our Monday Night Prayer for Israel Group is hosting a Worship & Praise Service this Friday Sept 4 at 7 PM at Pathway Church, 2601 Clays Mill Rd in Lexington, KY (formerly called Southland Evangelical Methodist Church). Pastor Kendra Hampton from River of Life Church in Paris will bring a message with the River of Life Praise Team; Hebrew Music by Vicki Welch, Shofar by Belinda Sanchez. Please come and spread the word! Contact Doris McCray for details: bndmccray@windstream.net Order my books, Free to Be Like Jesus and Morning by Morning and our other Messiah Ministries Resources or Contribute to Our Ministry on-line at:www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Subscribe by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502Devotional Archives at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com