Based on sermons by Timothy Yeung—Calgary, Canada

Editor’s note: The first article of this two-part series (Manna 96), discussed how prayer is not only a means of making requests to God, but, more importantly, the channel through which we gain the spiritual power to transform our lives. Through praying in the Spirit, we gain insight and strength to turn from sin and a new heart of submission to God’s will. In this concluding part, we learn from Elijah about how effective intercessions begin by returning our hearts to God.  

THE POWER TO RETURN OUR HEARTS TO GOD

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. (Jas 5:17–18)

Elijah had the same weaknesses as any man, and—despite being a zealous prophet—experienced highs and lows in faith. But God heeded his prayers because he was righteous and prayed earnestly (Jas 5:16); his prayer changed the weather! Nonetheless, the cause and effect of this incident is not so simple—something else had to happen for Elijah’s prayer for rain to be effective. God had already planned when to withhold and when to bestow rain. Rain represents the love, mercy, and grace of God. If the people’s hearts were far from God, they would not receive rain. But once the hearts of the people returned to God, rain would fall. In other words, Elijah’s prayer brought rain because he had interceded for the people before God and had been able to turn their hearts back to God (1 Kgs 18:37).

The end-time Elijah will also do the same:

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
And he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” (Mal 4:5–6)

Today, the true church is to fulfill the role of Elijah in the end-time. Living in an age where the world seems ever more alluring, we will see some around us falling away from God. We ourselves may not be fully walking the way of God either. We must thus learn from Elijah and use the power of prayer to return hearts to God. And for our prayers to be effective, we must first return to God ourselves.

HOW TO PRAY LIKE ELIJAH

And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. (1 Kgs 18:21)

When Elijah challenged the false prophets on Mount Carmel, the hearts of the Israelites were vacillating between two positions. This is a common state—some believe in God but also trust in worldly ideas, principles, and values. Such believers cannot wholeheartedly follow Him because their hearts still love the world (Mt 6:24; Jas 4:4). The church may have a vibrant worship and activity calendar, but the members are superficial in their faith and lack zeal in service. In such times, we need the intercession of many Elijahs.

HEAVENLY FIRE

Elijah prayed for two things; when these were fulfilled, they signaled that the people's hearts had changed. Firstly, he prayed for fire from heaven:

And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word.” (1 Kgs 18:36)

Elijah’s prayer was simple: let it be known that the Lord is God. The Israelites may have known this truth, but they did not truly embed it in their hearts. Otherwise, they would not have followed other gods. Since the people had strayed so far and no longer honored the sovereignty of God, drastic action was needed to turn their hearts back to Him. Elijah prayed for God to send fire because this was an undeniable sign of God’s power and existence (Gen 19:24; 2 Chr 7:1).

Today, we experience fire from heaven through the Holy Spirit. Some contaminants cannot be washed away with water—they must be burned by fire. God sends His Spirit of burning because He knows this is the only way to cleanse our impure and stubborn hearts (Isa 4:4). And when the Holy Spirit moves the hearts of men to change, God’s power and presence in our lives are made evident.

There was a mother with a rebellious teenage son who often stayed out late with his friends, occasionally taking drugs. The mother was powerless to change him; her advice and rebuke fell on deaf ears because she had neglected him as a child. So, she cried and prayed over him daily, knowing only God could help. One day, when her son was heading out, she neither argued nor pleaded with him but only prayed, “Lord, have mercy on my child. Nothing can change him, apart from You and Your Spirit of burning.”

Miraculously, after a night of partying and drinking, the son suddenly felt utterly empty and alone. The world outside no longer seemed fun, and he realized his friends did not truly care for him. He thought, What am I doing? Why do I keep making my mother sad? His heart changed suddenly—not because of his mother’s nagging, but through the Holy Spirit’s movement. Even a small flame from the Spirit of burning can reawaken a person’s conscience.

Sometimes, fire from heaven can severely burn. There was a brother in South Africa who was encouraged to attend a spiritual convocation. However, he not only skipped the convocation, but had the gall to go to a casino. As he drove home after gambling, he was violently attacked and robbed by a gang. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds and bled profusely. Thankfully, the Lord had mercy on him, and he survived despite being gravely wounded. When the brethren visited him in hospital, they did not rebuke him. But he understood that this was the consequence of his own actions. He knew that he had to go to church after he recovered.

Before fire falls from heaven, our advice may go unheeded. But when the fire falls, we do not have to speak at all.

“Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. (1 Kgs 18:37–38)

When fire from heaven falls, God Himself turns our hearts back to Him—whether through reawakening our conscience or disciplining us.

HEAVENLY RAIN

Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” (1 Kgs 18:41)

After the fire descended, the second thing Elijah prayed for was rain. When Elijah spoke to Ahab, there was not a single raindrop. But the prophet’s faith gave him confidence that there would soon be rain. Following the miraculous events on Mount Carmel, the prophets of Baal were executed (1 Kgs 18:40), and the hearts of the people returned to God. So Elijah knew that after the fire, rain would come; it was just a matter of time.

Likewise, today, when we pray for those around us and they remove false gods from their hearts, the grace of God will fall on them. But we must also ask ourselves: do we have false gods or false prophets in our hearts? We may not worship a literal idol, but anything or anyone that we hold as equally or more important than God is an idol.

Fundamentally, if the Lord God is the most important in our lives, we would not replace Him with other gods. If we do, our sins increase, and so will our sorrows (Jer 30:15). Do we feel our sorrows increasing? Perhaps God has been supplanted in our hearts.

Some treat their career as their god—they rely on the security of wealth and status, so they strive to earn these. Some put their children in the position of God, planning all their time around making their children happy, enriched, and accomplished with an activity-packed schedule. Education, material possessions, physical health, and wellness will become gods when our focus, ambitions, and self-worth are tied to them. If we spend most of our time and energy on such pursuits, nothing is left for nurturing our relationship with God.

We must constantly examine whether we have allowed anything to separate us from God or negatively influence our relationship with Him. If we wish to hear the sound of abundant rain, we must reprioritize and invite God back to His rightful position in our hearts.

By faith, Elijah heard the sound of rain, but he still ascended to the top of Carmel to pray. He prayed seven times before there was any sign of rain (1 Kgs 18:42–44). Sometimes, we pray over a matter for a long time—for ourselves or our loved ones—but we feel nothing has changed. At these times, we may doubt: Have we not already turned back to God? Why has He not sent His rain? This is a test of faith: wait for the seventh time; wait until we are unwavering.

After Elijah’s seventh prayer, a cloud as small as a man’s hand appeared. Sometimes, God’s answer comes as a dramatic experience. But more often than not, God’s work takes time. It starts small. So when we observe a small change, we must thank God and hold on to it. It signifies that more will follow; God’s grace will fall on us in abundance.

CONCLUSION

Although we are merely flesh and blood, like Elijah, our prayers can bring heavenly fire to turn hearts back to God. So let us pray that the Holy Spirit awakens the conscience and consciousness of those we pray for, whether through a still small voice or dramatic intervention, so that they acknowledge and submit to God as King over their lives. And as we pray for others, reflect on our own righteousness and whether there are any idols to remove from our hearts. When we and those we pray for have returned to God, He will send heavenly rain through spiritual blessings and grace. So, let us intercede unwaveringly and patiently for our families, our fellow members, and God’s church as a whole. Give thanks for the smallest changes we see on the horizon for these portend abundant showers of blessing.