Why does James use Elijah's prayer for drought and rain as an example of praying earnestly, especially when the prayer is not even recorded in the Old Testament? And more pertinent to the context of affliction and sickness, why does he not point to Elijah's prayer to raise ( heal) the dead son of the widow? The best answer is to look at the text where the prayer occurs: the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal.
The prayer for drought is offered after we read in 1 Kings 16 that "Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him." Elijah's prayer was biblical; he prayed that the Lord would send famine according to his warnings in Deuteronomy. Then, upon the Lord's victory over the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel, Elijah prays for rain. He prays that the Lord would heal and restore the land. So too, the effectual prayer for the sick is to restore that one to a right relationship with God. By executing judgment on Ahab and the priests of Baal, Elijah's prayers had the goal of bringing repentance and confession to the whole nation. This ties in with the next two verses: "converting the sinner from the error of his way."
James ends his book, not with a benediction or greetings, but another imperative: "convert the sinner." All Christians, not just the pastor and elders, are to watch for the warning signs of those who go astray. It is our responsibility to confront in order to convert. We are to confront in meekness while working to save the erring soul from death.
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Kurt Snow serves as a ruling elder at Covenant Reformed Church of Sacramento (RCUS). He served as a member of the Board of Governors of City Seminary of Sacramento from 2000 to 2020.