The Doorpost: The secret to answered prayer

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 5:17-18

Elijah was a man just like us. Think about that. Too often, as we read the Bible, we think just the opposite. We believe that the people of faith we are reading about were somehow special, with more gifts, strengths and abilities than we have. But the fact is that the heroes of faith in the Bible were people just like us. God answered the prayers of people just like us back then. He still does today.

What is the secret to having our prayers answered like Elijah did? Actually there isn’t a secret. God’s Word tells us several things to do. The verse we looked at last week (James 5:16) says the prayer does not lie in our own strength, gifts and abilities—it lies in our righteousness. God answers the prayers of people just like us, when we are righteous.

It is important that we realize this is not righteousness based on our own works, but the righteousness based on faith in Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:9). As we are living in dependence on His righteousness, there are certain requirements for having our prayers answered.

1. We must remain in Christ and His words must remain in us (John 15:7).
2. We must confess our sins (1 John 1:9).
3. We must not be hanging on to some secret sin (Psalm 66:18).
4. We must ask for things that are in agreement with God’s plan for the world and for our lives (Matthew 6:10, 1 John 5:14-15).
5. We must be depending on the power and authority of Jesus Christ (John 14:12-14, 16:23-27).

It is possible for people just like us to be righteous in God’s sight and to have our prayers answered just as Elijah did.