INTRODUCTION: According to James 5:16-18 [16] Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. [17] Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. [18] And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
See All..., Elijah received answers to his prayers concerning fire from heaven and the halting and renewing of rain despite being “a man subject to like passions as we are.” The next chapter of the Old Testament record (1 Kings 19) shows the extent of these “like passions.” In this chapter, Elijah runs from the threat of the wicked Jezebel and whines to God about wanting to die because he is the only one doing anything. Yet, without doubt, Elijah received mighty answers to his bold prayers. The text before us provides insight into why these audacious prayers were answered by God. We would do well to learn from Elijah’s example.

1. HE MADE SPECIFIC REQUESTS TO GOD (1 Kings 18:41And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
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1. Unbelieving Prayer Tends to be Nonspecific
1. Lord, bless my family – What exactly to you want God to do?
2. Lord, be with me today – He has already promised that He will never leave us or forsake us. What are you praying for?
2. He Must Turn Our General Requests Into Specific Ones
1. From Lord, bless my family to Lord, help Johnny understand his math problems today; Lord, help Suzy be a witness to her friend today; Lord, help my wife (husband) be obedient to You in the commitment she/he made last Sunday.
2. Illustration: Incident in Israel: we did not have invitations to hand out to the people because of the time constraint. It needed to be typed in Hebrew and printed; we needed it by the next day; and Israel has nothing like Kinko’s and such jobs usually take a week or two. So, we prayed. I asked one of the men to pray but he only prayed generally. I prayed again, but specifically for the request. That night we just came on someone who offered to type the invitation and we were able to get it printed the next evening.
2. HE PUT GOD ON THE SPOT BEFORE MEN (1 Kings 18:41And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
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1. Elijah Told the Wicked Ahab to Get Ready Because Rain Was on the Way
2. Illustration: This trip to Israel was truly saturated with prayer. At one point, our lost bus driver lost his wallet. After he left, we prayed for its recovery. Then, we called to tell him that we had prayed for its recovery (knowing that we were putting God on the spot). He called a few minutes later to tell us that he had found the wallet.
3. God Likes It When We have Enough Confidence in Him to Put Him on the Spot Before the World – Consider David before Goliath (1 Samuel 17:45-47 [45] Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. [46] This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. [47] And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands.
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3. HE MADE PRAYER HIS PRIORITY (1 Kings 18:42So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,
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1. While Ahab Ate and Drank, Elijah Went to Pray
2. If We Would Pray, It Must Become a Priority
1. Prayer is pure spiritual battle and it has the difficulties of war about it. Therefore, when we are not spiritually strong, prayer will be the most unpleasant of holy tasks for us.
2. Prayer calls down the power of God and it is the most effective work of the believer. Therefore, it is the area where the devil will most fiercely battle with the Christian.
3. There are so many hindrances to an effective prayer life, that we must make it a priority if it is to succeed.
4. Example: Man on trip who came from very liberal background, growing in the Lord because of the priority he gave to prayer and time with God a number of years ago.
4. HE PRAYED WITH GREAT FERVENCY (1 Kings 18:42So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,
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1. Elijah Cast Himself to the Ground and Put His Face Between His Knees
2. God Expects Us to be Earnest in our Prayers to Him (James 5:16-17 [16] Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. [17] Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
   See All...; Colossians 4:12Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
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3. Illustration: Prayer on the rooftop for the people of Israel. God broke my heart. How long has it been since the Lord has been able to break you heart? How cold are you to the things of God?
5. HE LOOKED FOR THE ANSWER TO HIS PRAYER (1 Kings 18:43And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
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1. Elijah Sent His Servant to Look Toward the Sea for any Evidence of Coming Rain
2. Watch and pray (Colossians 4:2-4 [2] Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; [3] Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: [4] That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
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3. We Must Do More than Pray; We Must Expect Our Prayers to be Answered. We Exercise Faith by Looking for the Answers to our Prayers.
6. HE CONTINUED TO PRAY WHILE WAITING (1 Kings 18:43And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
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1. Elijah Continued to Pray even after the Sixth Negative Response
2. The Friend and the Loaves (Luke 11:5-8 [5] And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; [6] For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? [7] And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. [8] I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
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3. To Pray and Not Faint (Luke 18:1-7 [1] And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; [2] Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: [3] And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. [4] And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; [5] Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. [6] And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. [7] And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
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4. We Lose Many Treasures Because We Stop Digging a Half-Inch from the Payload
7. HE ACTED IN EXPECTATION TO GOD’S RESPONSE (1 Kings 18:44And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down that the rain stop thee not.
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1. All the Servant Saw was a Little Cloud like a Man’s Hand
2. Yet This was Enough to Show Elijah that the Prayer was Answered
3. Illustration: Our visit to the traditional site where Elijah called fire from heaven. Our viewing of a small cloud from the dormitory window that looked like a finger of a hand. The comment that perhaps it was a sign of rain. The absence of rain in this time of the year. The rain we had the next night and morning. The declaration of local people that it never rained this time of year. Proof that God will still send His rains of blessing in a time of spiritual drought if we will look to Him.
4. Faith is Acting on the Promises of God Before we can See the Results. Note: Faith is something we exercise and grow in. We cannot go from little faith to great faith in one leap. We do not expect the gangly teen to play high school football without training and exercise. So, to claim great faith before you have exercised your little faith is nothing more than foolishness. Allow yourself to grow in faith. As you exercise the faith you have, God will increase your faith.

CONCLUSION: Elijah received the answer to his prayer (1 Kings 18:45And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
See All...). As a result, he also received a special empowering from the Lord (1 Kings 18:46And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
See All...). What needs to happen in your prayer life? Will you be obedient to the Lord?