The Power of Prayer

Elijah

Tonight I want to look at the Power of Prayer through the life of Elijah.

Elijah was a prophet in the Old Testament book of 1 and 2 Kings.

Elijah was one of two men that did not die a physical death but was taken to heaven.

2 Kings 2:11 NASB95

11 As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven.

The other man that did not see death was Enoch, which is found in Genesis 5:24

Genesis 5:24 NASB95

24 Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

Elijah had some incredible times in his life, his conversations with God were not always called prayer in Scripture.

We must understand that prayer is humanities way of addressing and petitioning God.

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible gives a classic definition of Christian prayer as “an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgement of his mercies.

Prayer is our way of communication and talking with God.

As we look at our main text tonight in 1 Kings 17:1-16, we wont hear the word prayer, but we will hear that Elijah heard the word of the Lord.

As Elijah heard the word of the Lord, we should think of it as prayer.

The name Elijah means “Yahweh is my God.”

I am going to read our entire text then we will go back and look at it.

Look with me at 1 Kings 17:1-16

1 Kings 17:1–16 NASB95

1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 2 The word of the Lord came to him, saying, 3 “Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4 “It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook. 7 It happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink.” 11 As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.” 12 But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 13 Then Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. 14 “For thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth.’ ” 15 So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through Elijah.

In verse one, Elijah makes a bold claim that there would be no rain until he says so.

He bases this declaration on the fact that his God lives and on the notion that he serves the living God, which means his prayers will be heard.

Elijah lived in a time that Baal worship was prominent, and those that worship Baal believed that their storm god made rain, unless it was the dry season and he needed to be brought back from the dead.

Therefore, as Elijah makes this bold declaration, he is refuting their belief and their storm god, by declaring that Yahweh is the one who determines when rain falls, that Yahweh is not afraid to challenge Ball on what his worshipers considered his home ground.

In verse two, we are told that the word of the Lord came to him, that is God spoke to Elijah, this is prayer as Elijah is communicating with God.

When we pray we should always take time to allow God to speak to us the things He would have us to hear.

Elijah proclaims that there is going to be a drought for a few years.

This would not only effect the worshipers of Baal, but also Elijah.

But God tells Elijah to go hid himself in the brook Cherith, a ravine that was east of the Jordan River.

The drought has begun, but Elijah has resources because his God controls all natural resources.

The brook or ravine that God directs Elijah to, has water and God sends food through the use of ravens.

Nothing that Elijah needs has been withheld, Paul tells us in Philippians 4:19

Philippians 4:19 NASB95

19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

We must understand that he says there supply all your needs.

God supplied all of Elijah’s needs by providing food and water.

But then we see in verse seven that the brook dried up, the drought has been going for some time now, long enough that this brook no longer has water for Elijah.

But God will supply Elijah’s needs.

In verse eight we are once again told that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, again God is communicating with him.

This time God instructs Elijah to go to a city of Sidon, where a widow will help Elijah.

This city Zarephath is located in Phoenicia, which is the very heart of Baalism, the worship of Baal.

As Elijah comes into the city he see a widow gathering sticks, and he asks the widow to get him a glass of water.

Now the widow begins to go get the water, when Elijah adds to to also bring him a piece of bread.

The bread is where things change, she stops and tells Elijah I have no bread and just enough flower and oil to make her and her son a little bread to eat before they starve to death.

Listen to Elijah’s response to the widow in verses 13-14

1 Kings 17:13–14 NASB95

13 Then Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. 14 “For thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth.’ ”

This widow had expected to starve to death along with her son.

Elijah promises that her flour and oil will not run out until the drought ends.

Our text continues and shows us that this promise comes true, the widow and her son are saved by this miraculous provisions.

Baal worshipers explained the drought as a sign that Baal was dead, and Baal could not help the widow and her son.

Again this city is the heart or center of Baal worship.

There in the very city that Baal is worshipped, Yahweh has proven His power over the things in which Ball has failed at.

In the absence of Baal, Yahweh steps in to assist the widow and the orphan.

Here we need to see that God has power over all things, where we cannot do things, where the world cannot come through, God is there ready to provide.

We cannot rebuild or grow this church, but we know the one that can, that is God.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 16:18

Matthew 16:18 NASB95

18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

We must be grounded in our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, just prior to this verse Peter confesses who Jesus is.

Matthew 16:16–17 NASB95

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

We must be grounded in that Jesus is the Son of the living God, and we must communicate with God.

There is power in prayer, as is seen throughout the entire Bible, as people communicated with God, He supplied the needs, and made things happen that only He could do.

As we pray, we need to pray that God will do things that only He can do.

That He will build and grow this church.