“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.  Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, 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 heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.” (JAMES 5:13-18)

It’s hard for me to accept that Elijah was as human as I know I am, or as you may feel you are. When I read the story of Elijah, it seems like I'm reading about someone who is quite superhuman (1 Kings 17-19 and 2 Kings 1-2). For instance, I don’t know anyone who has ever been fed by ravens or from an almost empty jar of flour. I don’t know anyone who has raised a widow’s son from the dead or called down fire from heaven. I don’t know anyone who has parted a river so that they could walk through it on dry ground. And I certainly don’t know anyone who has prayed for it not to rain, only to have heaven dry up for three and a half years.

No matter how we feel, the Bible tells us that Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed because he was human and completely dependent on God’s grace. And the God who answers the prayers of ordinary people dramatically responded to Elijah’s prayers.

If you haven't read Elijah’s story or it's been a while since you last did, take some time this weekend to treat yourself. You might wonder why? It's to gain perspective and discover hope that will help you bring your needs to God, just as Elijah gained perspective and found hope in God.

With that mission in mind, I encourage you to pray fervently if you are struggling with a problem. If you are facing a life issue, pray fervently. If you need healing, pray fervently. Pray fervently if you need money to pay a bill or have a loved one in need of saving. If you are simply tired of things as they are, pray! And as you pray, keep this quote from Andrew Murray in mind: “Beware in your prayers, above everything else, of limiting God, not only by unbelief but by assuming that you know what He can do. Expect unexpected things ‘above all that we ask or think.’”