A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                   THE RUNAWAY PROPHET PART I

"I, James, the half-brother of Jesus, made a perhaps surprising statement about the prophet Elijah in my letter... I wrote that he was a man just like us.... I mentioned as well that he had prayed that there would be no rain on his nation Israel.... And that as a result of his prayer there was no rain on the land for three and a half years.... I, furthermore, shared that Elijah had prayed for rain to come on the land and that God has answered his prayer by once again sending rain.... It is, of course, possible that you may not agree with my statement that Elijah was a man just like us... You may even want to try to explain to me why you think you are not like Elijah... If that is the case then I would like to suggest to you that you begin to study the life of Elijah.".... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn about the statement on Elijah by James, the half-brother of Jesus....


              ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                     THE RUNAWAY PROPHET PART I

The prophet Elijah was a very bold person who has done some amazing things. Yet James seems to think that your prayers can be as effective as the prayers of Elijah. You can read that in James 5:16-17

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain and the earth produced its crop.

James makes here this interesting statement" Elijah was a man just like us"... Now to be honest, I don't think you really believe these words, do you now? After all, you may well have prayed at times that the rain would stop but that does not mean your prayer was answered at that time.And you certainly have never prayed for the rain to stop for three years and then to pray again for the rain to start and for the heavens to respond by pouring out rain. So I think, that deep in your heart you think, "Excuse me, James, Elijah might be like you, but after all, you were the half-brother of Jesus and that made you a special person. But James, you do not know me. I am just an ordinary person. I try to hold on to my faith and there are many times when I doubt God and struggle with issues in my life for I know that I am not supposed to behave in the way that I do and yet I continue to do these very things I know I am not supposed to. So how can you possibly tell me that Elijah was just like me...?" If James could know what you might be thinking he may well suggest that you study the life of Elijah to see whether or not he is right.