The earnest prayer of a righteous man has great power and wonderful results. Elijah was as completely human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and one half years! Then he prayed again, this time that it would rain, and down it poured and the grass turned green and the gardens began to grow again. James 5:16-18 The Living Bible
Lord, my Father:
Summer is over
And I’m not sorry.
But still
it’s not raining!
In eastern Montana
Heat bakes the crackling grass,
Turning ponds to salt-rimmed mud,
And streams to oozy trickles.
While out here
Fires stalk the forest,
Torching the trees,
Turning thousands of acres to ash,
With no good purpose.
Our air fills with soot,
The mountains I love suffocate in smoke.
Yet, in Texas
People are suffering,
dying,
drowning in rain
Praying, longing for the very drought we pray against.
I don’t get it.
Now, in myself, I’m far from a righteous person;
I’m as “completely human” as Elijah was!
I know that.
But I’m covered by Your Son’s righteousness
And I’m certainly in earnest
When I plead for rain for us
And relief for the folks in Texas.
So how about some “great power and wonderful results?”
What’s that?
“Have patience,
And trust Me.”
Okay…
Then I hear:
“I have this hope/In the depths of my soul,
Through the flood and the fire
You’re with me/And you won’t let go.”
(“I Have This Hope”/Tenth Avenue North)
Yes, Lord. No matter what happens, You’re with me. And that’s what matters. Amen.
First published September 3, 2017