Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD lives—the God of Israel before whom I stand—there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!” vs1

God’s people have been given tremendous power: We prevail with Him in prayer.

We’re not able to force Him, but like Moses we can hold back wrath, and like Elijah we can hold back rain, spiritually showing men they are cursed [James 5:17]. We can speak to God and He blesses us.

Let us learn things about prayer:

1. Prayer is asking; it is not commanding.

2. Prayer is in the Name of Christ.

3. Prayer is unto God and not man.

4. Prayer is for what God has promised.

Let us learn these things and be wise:

Prayer is in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, asking Him to bless us, according to what He has promised.

If we ask for spiritual things, we know that we have them. Let us ask for His glory.

1 John 5:14, “And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”

If we ask for carnal things, then they may or may not come. He doesn’t heal the same way as in the Bible, as evidenced by nobody having the power. He does, however, answer prayer in the physical... but He always answers in the spiritual, when we ask for His glory to obey.

God is gracious to GIVE US what we desire. He does not owe us, but He has promised, and these good promises are from a gracious God, who delights to give and be all to His people.

Look at Christ, the Perfect Man, and how He depended on God the Father. This is what He wants from us, that we’d be sons and daughters walking in dependence.

Secondly, When we ask in Jesus’ name, we ask boldly. Elijah was sure.

1 John 5:15, “And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we already possess what we have asked of Him.”

Eph 3:12, “In Him and through faith in Him we may enter God’s presence with boldness and confidence.”

I was at a prayer meeting after preaching tonight, and prayer was bold for revival in Nigeria - for ministers to preach the true word, not prosperity, and for God to be worshiped.

Preaching helps prayer have access and direction, so we ask for what He wants in the CONFIDENCE that He will give it, not relying on ourselves but Him… not discouraged by circumstances but encouraged by the God of grace.

Let your prayer life be bold and well directed: seek the things of the kingdom.

Thirdly, If we pray, then we will get what we ask for, because God uses means. Preaching without prayer is unbelief: it is reliance upon ourselves and truth, rather than relying on God the Spirit.

They prayed at Pentecost, and they prayed throughout the book of Acts, and the Spirit came down and blessed them.

Acts 4:31, “After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”

Let us pray, and then we’ll have unity, AFTER the Spirit is upon us. Let us be broken, and then we’ll have revival, as He lifts us up by the Spirit, which is how Christ shines on us.