When my husband, Joe, and I were traveling along a local highway the other day, it suddenly began to rain. As the rain turned into a torrential downpour, visibility became greatly reduced, and all of the traffic immediately slowed down. I noticed a man on a motorcycle struggling to control his bike. He suddenly pulled off the road to find some cover beneath an overpass. I thought of all of the fatalities that motorcyclists suffer in our region on a regular basis, and I began to pray. My prayer went something like this: “Lord, please make this rain slow down! Better yet, please stop it entirely!” Within five seconds, the rain was gone. The road that stretched out ahead of us was completely dry. I confess that I was stunned. And I thanked and praised God for hearing my urgent, heartfelt prayer.

As I thought about this experience, I was reminded of some verses in the book of James. “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.” (James 5:16-18 NLT) When we think of Elijah, we usually view him as a mighty prophet of God who performed many miracles. But in this context, we are asked to see Elijah, as one commentator says, “as an ordinary man with a nature like ours whose earnest prayers moved heaven itself.” This serves as proof that believers should not hesitate to pray for miracles. Because we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ, we possess immense power through prayer. (2 Corinthians 5:21; James 5:16)

If I were to be honest, I would have to admit that I almost didn’t pray that prayer to stop the rain, because part of me doubted that it would make a difference in my situation. John Wesley wrote, “God does nothing but in answer to prayer; and everything with it.” This brings to mind another one of my favorite verses in James: “You don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.” (4:2 NLT) How many things do you and I do without on a regular basis, simply because we don’t pray for them?

Prayer: Lord, help me to see my prayers as You see them – tremendously powerful and effective. Teach me how to pray with passion, and to pray continually, as Your Word instructs me to. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Guard me from doubt and unbelief, and help me to do my part in the process by spending time in Your Word. (Romans 10:17) Thank You that as I stretch my faith and pray earnestly and passionately, I will witness You moving mightily on my behalf!