"Avail Much"

   The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
   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. James 5:16-18

   Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain."
   So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down to the ground, and put his face between his knees,
   And said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." So He went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing." And seven times he said, "Go again."
   Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, "There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!" So he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.'"
   Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. 1Kings 18:41-45

Elijah, a simple man, just like you and I, prayed earnestly and the rain stopped. He earnestly prayed and it started again!

I love that he, earnestly and fervently prayed, but to be honest, I love it because of another word as well. That word ...continuously. The truth is he continuously and earnestly and fervently prayed. He didn't give up. Seven times he sent the servant to check for rain. He didn't give up the first time when the news came back that there was no sign. He didn't give up the second time or the next or even the next. He didn't give up based on the report coming back to him, instead he continuously, fervently, and earnestly prayed because he knew in his heart ...'there was the sound of an abundance of rain."

You and I, as His people, need to remember that it doesn't take someone extra special to see the results of our prayers. All it really takes to see the abundance of rain is that we be like Elijah, a servant of God who is not afraid to continue asking even when the reports say, "No rain." Be like Elijah and continuously "...avail much!"