“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. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops” (James 5:18-19).
Elijah prayed. God answered his prayers. His prayers were grounded in his faith and his behavior; an earlier verse notes that “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:17). People remembered that Elijah prayed. They remembered his prayers about rain. They remembered his praying before fire fell from heaven to devour a sacrifice.
The Word Press writing challenge for today asks of what I would want to be remembered as patron saint in three hundred years. While I have no aspirations to being a patron saint, I would be happy if my writing and my life inspired people to take seriously their relationship with God, especially with regard to prayer. I write and speak about prayer in “Call for Fire Seminar” to encourage thoughtful prayer that is grounded in faith. If my writing and speaking draw enough people to God through Christ that people remember me in three hundred years because of prayer, my ministry will have succeeded wildly. If they remember me so, it will mean also that the prayers of many people will have transformed relationships and will have molded communities and societies where faith is not feared, but God is revered.
Live well. Pray hard. Call for fire!
