“Prayer Warrior” ~ ✨
Elijah the Tishbite, who dwelt in Gilead (known as the great prophet), appeared in Israel’s history around 874 BC. He makes his entrance in 1 Kings chapter 17. The very first words he speaks are staggering (17:1): “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” The “next few years” refer to the period when the northern kingdom was under the rule of King Ahab.
From the division of Israel into the northern kingdom until Ahab’s reign, only about sixty years had passed (931–874 BC). During this time, the northern kingdom was ruled by a succession of increasingly evil kings. The nation had become utterly corrupt—morally, spiritually, economically (witness the three-and-a-half-year drought and famine; even the king himself reduced to searching for water for his horses), and politically (the tyrannical queen). The one God raised up to save Israel was not a politician, a military strategist, or an economist—He used a man with a nature like ours, so that all might know that the LORD is the God of Israel, the one and only true God!
Scripture calls Elijah “the chariots and horsemen of God’s house” (2 Kings 2:12). The prophet Elijah was a mighty warrior—not one who fought with weapons made by human hands, but with spiritual weapons. People speak of Elijah as great, as if only a great person could have done what he did. Yet James, the brother of our Lord Jesus in the flesh, points out that Elijah was a man with a nature like ours.
What I understand from James’s words is this: it was not Elijah himself who was great—for Elijah could not save the sinful northern kingdom. After Ahab died, his son Ahaziah succeeded him and followed in his father’s footsteps, worshiping the golden calves and Baal (1 Kings 22:52). None of the prophets or warriors of the Old Testament could save the nation of Israel. But in the midst of that desperate national crisis, Elijah was used by God to do these extraordinary things. In faith, wisdom, courage, and perseverance, he became a model for future generations.
Many ask what Elijah’s secret was. I have asked the same question—not of people, but of God. From Malachi 4:6, we are assured of Elijah’s heart: he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Moreover, this resolve—”to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers”—continues on. James 5:17–18 also shows me that Elijah’s resolve was put into action. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and no rain fell on the land for three years and six months. After that time, he prayed again, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
Elijah’s first appearance is recorded in 1 Kings 17:1, where he says to Ahab: “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” The text in Kings does not mention that it was Elijah’s earnest prayer that caused the drought. James 5:17 answers part of my question. The three-and-a-half-year drought was not because Elijah “did not pray”—it was because God, in response to Elijah’s prayer, withheld the rain. In other words, this drought did not originate as a curse from God; rather, Elijah asked God to do this, in order to prevent God from having to devote the land to destruction (the ‘curse’ of Malachi 4:6).
I also reflect that Elijah did not pray casually or recklessly. He knew God’s law and prayed according to God’s statutes. In Deuteronomy 11:16–17, Moses warned the people of Israel: “Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. Then the LORD’s anger will burn against you, and he will shut the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will not yield its produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the LORD is giving you.” God saw that the people of the northern kingdom had long been worshiping golden calves and false gods—but who could understand God’s grief? Elijah understood. He entered into the pain of God’s heart and empathised with the heart of a Father who did not want His children to perish. Elijah prayed that God would shut the heavens so that no rain would fall, in order to bring the people of Israel to repentance.
When God’s time came, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land” (1 Kings 18:1). Yet during those three and a half years, the killing of the LORD’s prophets continued; the worship of the golden calves and Baal continued. Elijah knew that the people were still double-minded—seemingly following the LORD, yet also following Baal. To turn the people back wholeheartedly to the LORD God, Elijah would not rely merely on speaking God’s word or claiming that the drought was because he had not prayed.
God makes winds His messengers and flames His servants (Psalm 104:4). Without wind, no rain falls; without fire, people do not fear. Before the killing of the 450 prophets of Baal, nowhere in Scripture do we see God commanding Elijah to go up Mount Carmel to offer a sacrifice to prove who is the true God, nor do we see God commanding Elijah to kill Baal’s prophets. Yet Elijah discerned what was pleasing to God and what was hateful to God. In that context, Elijah demonstrated spiritual wisdom: he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down, took twelve stones corresponding to the twelve tribes of Israel, and built an altar for the name of the LORD, fulfilling what was written about establishing a sanctuary (Numbers 7). Thereupon, God answered Elijah’s prayer. The killing of the false prophets was to fulfill what was written in the prophetic books—that such people should be put to death (Deuteronomy 13:5 & 17:2–7; Numbers 25:1–13).
Immediately after this, Elijah declared to Ahab, “The sound of heavy rain is already here” (1 Kings 18:41). With ears of faith he could hear “the sound of heavy rain,” and with a mouth of faith he could proclaim, “Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you” (1 Kings 18:44). This is a concrete demonstration of a servant of God waiting in faith and praying while waiting. When Elijah made this bold declaration, the sky was clear, the sun was blazing, and there was not a single cloud. What gave him the right to make such a daring pronouncement? He stood on God’s promise—the word God Himself had spoken to him: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land” (1 Kings 18:1). Elijah sowed faith and reaped God’s promise. The rain fell—and the falling of the rain was to show that those who rely on God and do His will enjoy favourable seasons (Psalm 1:1–2), and to turn the people of Israel back to the one true God.
Another of Elijah’s legendary acts—the sacrifice on Mount Carmel to prove who is the true God—resulted in his prayer being answered by God. Yet even though God answered, this may not have been God’s first choice for that time and place. If Elijah had first asked God whether he could do this, and received God’s permission before acting, that would have been completely in line with God’s will. Listening to the Lord’s voice first, then acting, is the attitude a servant should have, honouring the Lord as first and supreme. If the apostle Paul had listened to the Lord’s voice and either not gone to Jerusalem or left the city immediately, his later experiences would have been radically different!
In summary, Elijah’s secret was “earnest prayer – waiting in faith – earnest prayer….” God listened to every prayer of Elijah, not only because Elijah was a righteous man, but also because Elijah understood God’s will; everything he asked for was in accordance with God’s heart. Years later, the prophet Daniel in the southern kingdom was also such a servant—one who fully feared, obeyed, and relied on God. In Daniel 10:12, I read the angel Michael saying to Daniel: “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.”
These wonderful witnesses—in faith, obedience, courage, and self-discipline—are examples for Christians today. We who are justified by faith: our faith comes from Christ and is founded on Him. May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we may truly know Him. May we know the immeasurable greatness of His power towards us who believe.
Knowledge of Scripture shapes our faith; practical understanding in life strengthens our faith. Through life’s practical lessons, we come to know God and our Lord Jesus Christ more deeply, and we share in spiritual excellence. Sow diligence, reap fruit; sow goodness, reap joy; sow harmony, reap peace; sow faith, reap the promise. Then we will always abide in God’s protection. It is my earnest hope that every person who belongs to Christ—just as the name “Elijah” means “The LORD is my God”—will seek not only the “identity” of being a child of God, but also the “status” of serving alongside God in His kingdom, with a heart like Elijah’s!
May Elijah’s fire of prayer and eyes of faith be a lamp to our feet:
Hearing the sound of rain in a dry year;
Seeing the fire on the altar;
Reading the Father’s heart in the law;
And living out an extraordinary calling in ordinary life.
✨✨💖 ~
en yan hua fang 