Keep On Praying

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Good Evening,

I am honored to be able to speak to you on this beautiful day that our Lord has made. It is my prayer that you prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers.

Today’s message will be coming from the book of 1Kings. We will commence reading at the 17th chapter beginning at the 17th verse.

And it reads,

17 And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.

18 And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? Art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?

19 And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried  him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.

20 And he cried unto the Lord and said, O Lord my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?

21 And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again.

22And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.

23 And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.

24 And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.

May God add a blessing to the readers, hearers, and doers of His Word. As we look into this particular passage of scripture, we find that Elijah is living at a widow woman’s house where the woman lived with her son. Before Elijah came to the widow woman’s house, the 17th chapter says that Elijah pronounced that a famine will be coming. Elijah prophesied that there would be no dew nor rain. Not the heaviest of rain, and not the lightest of dew. In this famine, Elijah prophesied that there would be no dew nor rain for a number of years. Not even the lightest of dew will come from the sky during this famine.

When the famine came, God commanded Elijah to go and hide himself by a brook that is called Cherith. Before Elijah came to the widow woman’s house, Elijah was living by the brook. Elijah was commanded to live by the brook so that he would have something to drink during the famine, because remember there would be no dew nor rain for the space of years. God also told Elijah to hide himself by the brook called Cherith, because King Ahab was looking for Elijah. Ahab was looking for Elijah, because he was angry with Elijah. Ahab was angry with Elijah, because Elijah prophesied that Israel will go years without rain and dew. While Elijah was dwelling by the brook, God commanded a raven to feed Elijah bread and meat two times a day.

The Bible says that one day the brook dried up, and Elijah could no longer drink from the brook. So, God sent Elijah to dwell at a widow woman’s house so that, and God promised Elijah that the widow woman would feed him. Before Elijah arrived, the widow woman and her son were living alone in the house. According to our passage of scripture, we know that the woman’s son became gravely ill insomuch that the boy’s breath left his body. The scripture reveals to us that the woman came to Elijah, and she was questioning whether he came to remind her of her sins by causing her son to die. And Elijah responded to the woman “Give me thy son.” So, Elijah took the boy into his loft stretched out over the body of the boy three times praying. My question to you is “What do you do when someone brings accusatory questions to you?” I’ll tell you what Elijah did. He stretched out over the little boy three times praying to God in heaven.

This is my advice for you child of God. Pray! Pray! Pray until God hears you! A lot of times we try to defend ourselves. But that’s not the right response. Prayer is the right response. When Elijah prayed for the boy He cried, “Lord!! Let the boy’s soul return to his body.” The Bible says that “God caused the soul of the boy to return to his body.” What do you do when accusation comes your way? What do you do when death has come knocking on your door? I encourage you to pray. Pray!! Pray to God in the name of Jesus!! What do you do when all hope seems lost? Pray until God restores your soul. The Bible says that Elijah prayed three times, and God heard Elijah and brought the boy back to life. I have a question for you. How many of you would have given up after the first prayer; all the while saying I guess it was just meant to be. I encourage you to keep on praying.

When death is evident, keep on praying. When the circumstance seems hopeless and the odds are stacked against you; keep on praying. As Christians, we know the great works that Elijah did in his day. He worked miracles and called down fire on several occasions. Some would argue that Elijah was one of the greatest prophets to ever have lived. I would argue that without prayer, none of these things would have been possible. Without a connection with God, these type of miracles could not have been done. James 5: 17,18 says, “Elijah 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. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought for her fruit.” Prayer was the key to Elijah’s ministry. According to biblical scripture Elijah was a man (just like you and I), but prayer connected him with the God of heaven. Prayer is the way we maintain our connection with God. A lamp will stay lighted as long as it is plugged into an electric socket. However, if the lamp is disconnected from the electric socket, it can not produce light. The same is true with us. We cannot produce light disconnected from God. We cannot beat back the powers of darkness if we are disconnected from God. Pray to God. Establish a relationship with Him. Tell Him that He’s worthy of all worship and praise. Tell the Most High God that He is Awesome. Worship Him in spirit and truth. John 4:24 says, “For God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth.” Praying earnestly makes it possible. Praying in the name of Jesus makes it possible. Pray Children! Pray! Earlier it was mentioned that Elijah prophesied that there would be a famine. I know that there are those that wonder in your minds why would Elijah pray for God to send a famine into the world. Elijah was a man who was passionate about God, and he was angry that the nation of Israel had turned its back on God. Elijah’s ministry began during the days of King Ahab. King Ahab worshiped other gods. Ahab worshipped gods made with hands. From the days of King Solomon until the days of King Ahab was a span of 78 years, and every king from Solomon until Ahab worshipped gods made with hands. So finally, God brought forth a prophet named Elijah who would stand for God. Elijah prayed that there would be dew nor rain. In 1 Kings 18: 36-38 Elijah was praying, “…Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.”

Elijah said that he did all these things at God’s word.  Elijah’s prayers were prayed with great zeal in defense for God, and His prayers were prayed according to the will of God. When we pray, we should pray with great zeal. We should be burdened when we see the idolatry in the land. We should be burdened in our prayers when we see the ways in which God has been mistreated. Lastly, we should pray that the hearts of men would turn back to God. We have to stop being selfish with our prayers. Give me Lord! Give Me Lord! Help Me! Do for me Lord! Me!, Me! Me! No baby! Pray in the name of Jesus that God would turn the hearts of men back to Him. Pray child of God!, and keep on praying.