The Great power of Prayer
We have a God for all circumstances. In times of affliction, we should pray to Him; in times of cheerfulness, we should sing to Him. Do times of trouble drive us to prayer, and do times of joy lead us to praise? To encourage us to pray, James draws attention to the powerful combination formed by the right kind of prayer prayed by the right kind of man. The fervent supplication of a righteous man, he assures us, is of ‘great strength’, v. 16 lit. James loves to illustrate his points by reference to examples from the Old Testament. Previously, he had cited Abraham and Rahab as evidence of true faith that expresses itself in works, 2:20–26, and Job as evidence of patient endurance in the face of affliction, 5:10–11. Now he introduces Elijah as an example of one whose prayer was of ‘great strength,’ 5:17–18. Although James was fully aware of the normal weather cycle, v. 7, he was also aware of one occasion when God interfered with that cycle in response to a man’s prayers. For by his praye...