“Pray Earnestly!”

“Pray Earnestly!”
“Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain in the land for three years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced crops”(Jam.5:17-18).
If Elijah could do it, why not us? How come we have prayed for certain situations to change but they remain the same? This is among the perennial questions which our mockers use in challenging our faith.
We know differently. God answers all our prayers with either, “yes” with an immediate response, “yes” but not now. The answer can also be “no”, it is not necessary/you do not need it, “no”, I don’t care, you caused your problem, so fix it yourself.
When people make a decision to go to war, the prayers for the war to end is meaningless if they continue to arm themselves with more sophisticated weapons!
God answers all prayers, but his answers are not always according to our expectations.
That notwithstanding, the text says, “He prayed earnestly…” For a prayer to be answered, you have to pray earnestly! Apart from praying earnestly, one must be righteous. The preceding verse of the text says “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
Therefore, if we want our prayers to be answered, we should strive to be righteous when we appear before the throne of grace with the prayers. Prayers should be made in faith and not dramatizations public appraisals! That is why for any kind of healing to take place we should confess our sins to each other before praying for each other. Do not be selfish with your prayer; it is not always about you! It is about what God should do to the majority through you!
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ purify my soul with your blood and answer my prayer for the nation. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!