Scripture to Read: 1 Kings 17:19–24
Elijah didn’t challenge the widow; he simply said to her in 1 Kings 17:19, “Give me your son.” The widow had been holding her son’s lifeless body, wondering why this had happened. Elijah carried the body of the boy to his room and laid his lifeless body on his bed. Then, Elijah lay on the body of the lifeless boy three times as he also cried out to the Lord in 1 Kings 17:20–21 and said, “O Lord my God, have You also brought calamity to the widow with whom I am staying, by causing her son to die?” “O Lord my God, I pray You, let this child’s life return to him.” Elijah had no previous example to follow as to why he lay on the boy three times. We know from Scripture that the number 3 often signifies completeness or divine action and often indicates that something is finished, but Elijah wouldn’t have known this. He knew God alone could give this boy life again, so, Elijah was persistent and passionate in his request to God. God answered, and “the life of the child returned to him and he revived” (1 Kings 17:22). God answered according to His perfect will. He also answers us according to His perfect will. The good news for us is that the Holy Spirit is always praying on our behalf, and as God tells us in Romans 8:27, the Holy Spirit always “intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” God desires that we be persistent and passionate prayer warriors, trusting in Him for every need.
Challenge & Application
What were the two characteristics of Elijah’s prayer that we also need to follow in our own prayer lives?
How passionate and persistent are you in your prayer life, and where do you need to grow?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!