In James 5:16-18 (NLT2) “The earnest prayer of a righteous person... (Part 1)

... has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.” Today we begin this new series “Revival Praying” and I hope this is exactly what Life Church will begin to do. Anyone with their eyes opened can see our world is in a mess. The kind of revival I am talking about takes a church takes the church in its grasp and refuses to let go until every last ounce of sin and self has been squeezed out. There is nothing pacifying about revival. Revival is not a season to be jolly. It’s not celebration or festivity. The church in revival is faced with the anguish of unforgiven sin.  Like Isaiah of old the church cries out “Undone”. The question is not “Where is the God of Elijah? Where are the Elijahs of God?”

1. Elijahs of God. James tells us that Elijah was human or of like passions as we are but we are not like him obviously when it comes to praying and seeking God. He and God stand together as a majority against a wicked nation, against a wicked king, and a wicked Jezebel. We think we can’t make a difference in the mess today but we can if we pray. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)
¹⁴  if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

 2. Stand in the Gap. So many times we think we have it worse now than any time in history but Elijah was raised up at a time when darkness covered the land. So what did God do? Ezekiel 22:30 (NKJV) “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”

3. Stand in the Gap and Pray. The secret to praying is praying in secret. If we are not praying, we are playing with the future of our kids and grandkids. I love the song…The Blessing but we have to pray for that to happened. Future generations will only be blessed if we will stand in the gap and pray for revival.