May 6

“And he prayed again; and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.” James 5:18

The Lord had explicitly told Elijah to seek out King Ahab because he was about to send rain on the earth. He did not, however, send this rain until Elijah had prayed. God does not always carry out his will alone; he waits for us to cooperate with him by prayer. It is true that Elijah needed first to know it was God’s will and that his time to act had at last come; but knowing this did not excuse him from that earnest prayer which released the rain.

It is a mistake to think that man initiates anything by prayer. The Bible shows us that it is God who first desires to do certain things, and make his wishes known. Our part is to learn what is his will and then to ask him to perform it. This can truly be called prayer, and it is what God wants from us.