PRAYING MEN OF THE BIBLE MARCH 15, 2023
#5 ELIJAH – THE PRAYING PROPHET
“I have known men,” says Goodwin—it must have been himself—“who came to God for nothing else but to just come to Him, they so loved Him. They scorned to soil Him and themselves with any other errand than just purely to be alone with Him in His presence. Friendship is best kept up, even among men, by frequent visits; and the more free and defecate (purified or refined) those frequent visits are, and the less occasioned by business, or necessity, or custom they are, the more friendly and welcome they are.” Rev. Alexander Whyte
SCRIPTURE
1 Kings 17:1 - 2 Kings 2:12
Central Truth: God uses the ordinary to bring forth His extraordinary purposes in the earth!
Who was Elijah?
1/ A Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead.
2/ A Prophet whose ministry was set during the reign of King Ahab.
3/ A man of prayer and intense passion for God
What did Elijah do?
1/ Elijah prophesied a drought that would last over three years.
James 5:17-18 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
2/ Elijah learned the power of obedience and prayer during the hidden years.
a. The Ravens
b. The widow
c. The widow’s son
3/ Elijah went head-to-head with the false gods Israel had chosen embrace.
1 Kings 18:16-40 – full account
1 Kings 18:36, 37 – Elijah’s prayer
At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command.37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
How was prayer a priority of Elijah’s Life?
1/ Elijah could do nothing, except by/through prayer.
2/ Elijah learned the true power of prayer – it comes from a place of complete surrender and obedience to God.
Christian Life Lessons
1/ It takes persistent and persevering prayer to give the promise of God its most gracious results!
2/ Truth and heart reality are the core, substance, and sum of the heart of prayer.
3/ The secret of Elijah’s praying and his character are found in the words “before whom I stand” or “whom I serve.” 1 Kings 17:1 (KJV) (NIV)
Looking Ahead
March 22 – Ezra and Nehemiah
March 29 – Daniel and Samuel
PRAYING MEN OF THE BIBLE
#6 HEZEKIAH – THE PRAYING KING
“One can form a habit of study until the will seems to be at rest and only the intellect is engaged, the will having retired altogether from exercise. This is not true of real praying. If the affections are laggard, cold, indifferent, if the intellect is furnishing no material to clothe the petition with imagery and fervor, the prayer is a mere vaporing of intellectual exercise, nothing being accomplished worthwhile.” Rev. Homer W. Hodge
SCRIPTURE
2 Kings 18-20, 2 Chronicles 28-32, and Isaiah 36-39
Central Truth: A life of holiness and utter dependence on God makes room for the miraculous!
Who was Hezekiah?
1/ King of Judah for 29 years (724-695 B.C.) who became king at age 25
2/ Hezekiah cleansed and reopened the temple. 2 Chronicles 30
3/ “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” 2 Kings 18:3
What did Hezekiah do?
1/ Hezekiah celebrates the Passover.
2 Chronicles 30:18-20 Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone19 who sets their heart on seeking God—the Lord, the God of their ancestors—even if they are not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.”20 And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.
2/ Sennacherib’s Threat
2 Kings 19:14-19 Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God. 17 “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. 19 Now,
3/ Hezekiah’s Illness
2 Kings 20:2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord,3 “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
How was prayer a priority of Hezekiah’s Life?
1/ Prayer was Hezekiah’s first response and not his last resort.
2/ Hezekiah knew the value of crying out to God!
Christian Life Lessons
1/ We must sometimes take action with our praying when facing difficult and overwhelming circumstances.
2/ Everything we contend for in prayer must ultimately be for God’s glory to be displayed!
3/ No matter your checkered past or ungodly upbringing, God will use those who pursue relationship with Him to redeem their past and to help them make a difference in the present and for future generations.
Looking Ahead
March 22 – Ezra and Nehemiah
March 29 – Daniel and Samuel