JAMES 5:17-18 THE POWER OF PRAYER
17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
Prayer is the vehicle through which natural men can achieve supernatural ends. It is the conversation of faith that can move mountains even though it appears to be such a small thing. When we pray we are not only talking to God, but we are including God in our circumstances and opening ourselves and the situation to the power of his presence and his sovereign will.
Earlier in this letter, St. James spoke in negative terms about the awful power of the tongue. We have read of the negative effect of the tongue and how it is disproportionate to the size of the anatomical structure. He wrote that we tame the animal by taming the tongue. He also said that the tongue was like a small rudder that determined the direction of the large ship. In addition, the power of the tongue was described as that of a spark that results in a huge and destructive forest fire. In each case, the negative subject was not the tongue itself or its power, but the misuse of the tongue. Even in our inconsistency, we use the tongue to both curse men and praise God (3:9). This is an abomination, but it is also evidence that there is a positive aspect of the tongue. Prayer and praise is the righteous use of the tongue through which its true power to invoke God’s will in this world is unleashed.
The righteous prayers are those that are focused on God’s will and not our worldly desires. God wants a relationship with us, and communication of our needs and desires is part of a healthy relationship, but he would also have us participate in his plan for Creation by praying at a deeper level. The ultimate manner in which we are to employ our tongue is through the revelation of God’s will. We achieve this when our prayers reveal to the world who God is and his power to act.
Father, you have given me a tongue and the gift of speech so that I might praise you and call upon you. Guide the use of my tongue so that its power will be channeled into the stream of your righteous will. May I be empowered to do the hard work of training my tongue in righteousness so that my whole life will be steered according to your will and you will be manifested through my life. Amen.