The God Who Hears

(Part 1 of 2)

 “Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse and finally stopped breathing. She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?” “Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. Then he cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing he son to die?” Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!” The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived.”

                                                                                                            1 Kings 17:17-22

When we get to 1 Kings 17, we read how God commanded Elijah to speak judgment over disobedient Israel. Israel had fallen into Baal worship, who they believed was responsible for the rain and abundant crops. So God sends a messenger by the name of Elijah to prophesy that there would be no rain for 3 ½ years except by his word. During this time God provided for Elijah during the drought. First, God feeds Elijah by ravens and then he is fed by the widow of Zarapath. Although it is the last of her oil and flour she obediently provides for God’s servant. As a result her cruse of oil and jar of flour did not run dry.  While Elijah is staying with them, the widow’s son dies. In the midst of the miracle of “oil and flour” this tragedy takes place. Elijah scoops us the boy and cries out to God: “O Lord, My God, Let this boy’s life return to him.”

And the scripture tells us, that the Lord “heard” Elijah’s cry. What made Elijah so special that God heard him when he prayed? James 5: 17- 18 tells us:

“Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for 3 ½ years. Again he prayed and the heavens gave rain and the earth produced its crops.”

What made Elijah powerful in prayer was not his education or his pedigree. He was simply an ordinary man who believed a couple things about God. One thing he believed is that he served a God who hears! Prayer is nothing but an exercise in futility if we do not believe that God hears us when we pray. Repeatedly throughout the Psalms, King David cried out to God: “Be merciful and hear my prayers,” Psalm 4:1; “Give ear to my prayer,” Psalm 17:1; “Hear my prayer O Lord,” Psalm 86:6. The first key to fervent, effective prayer is to know that God hears us when we pray!

Pastor Scott Burr

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/