Praying With Authority (I Kings 18:19-39) - Bible Study

Praying With Authority
Wednesday, November 12
1 Kings 18:19-39

God has given His children the privilege of calling upon Him for all they need, and what's more, He's promised to respond. He has also included the right to petition Him on behalf of others. Scripture tells us that the prayers of a righteous person can accomplish much (James 5:16).

James 5:16
Therefore, confess R210 your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. R211 The R212 effective prayer F89 of a righteous man can accomplish much.

To be righteous in the Father's sight, we must have accepted His offer of salvation. Before redemption, we were unrighteous people under His judgment (Eph. 2:1, 3). Through faith in Christ as our Savior, we are made new and declared holy in His sight. Then, for our petitions to be powerful and effective, they must be in agreement with His will (1 John 5:14-15). Getting to know our Father's character and priorities is the key to making requests aligned with His plan.

Ephesians 2:1,3
2:1
And you were F25 dead R70 in F26 your trespasses and sins,
2:3
Among them we too all formerly R75 lived in the R76 lusts of our flesh, indulging F28 the desires of the flesh and of the mind, F29 and were by R77 nature children R78 of wrath, even R79 as the rest.

1 John 5:14-15
5:14
This is the R250 confidence which we have before F38 Him, that, if R251 we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
5:15
And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we R252 know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

Elijah is a good example of someone who prayed with authority. The Lord sent him into battle against evil King Ahab and the 450 prophets of Baal. This was a spiritual conflict to prove who was the real God--Baal or the Lord of Israel. Elijah's weapons were his knowledge of the Father's plan and the authority he had in prayer as a prophet of God. His request, made publicly before his opponents, matched the Lord's will--that Jehovah would make Himself known (1 Kings 18:37). And when God responded to Elijah's prayer, the people declared, "The Lord, He is God!" (v. 39).

1 Kings 18:37 , 39
18:37
"Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God, and {that} You have turned their heart back again."
18:39
When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, " R722 The LORD, He is God; the LORD, He is God."

Are you a child of God? If so, you can pray with spiritual might by making sure your requests are in agreement with His will.

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1 Kings 18:19-39
18:19
"Now then send {and} gather to me all Israel at Mount R702 Carmel, {together} R703 with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the R704 Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."
18:20
So Ahab sent {a message} among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel.
18:21
Elijah came near to all the people and said, " R705 How long {will} you hesitate F298 between two opinions? If R706 the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people did not answer him a word.
18:22
Then Elijah said to the people, "I alone R707 am left a prophet of the LORD, but Baal's prophets are 450 R708 men.
18:23
"Now let them give us two oxen; and let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but put no fire {under it;} and I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood, and I will not put a fire {under it.}
18:24
"Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD, and the R709 God who answers by fire, He is God." And all the people said, "That is a good idea."
18:25
So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire {under it.}"
18:26
Then they took the ox which was F299 given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, "O Baal, answer us." But there was no R710 voice and no one answered. And they leaped F300 about the altar which they F301 made.
18:27
It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened."
18:28
So they cried with a loud voice and cut R711 themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them.
18:29
When midday was past, they raved F302 until R712 the time of the offering of the {evening} sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one F303 paid attention.
18:30
Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me." So all the people came near to him. And he R713 repaired the altar of the LORD which had been torn down.
18:31
Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, " R714 Israel shall be your name."
18:32
So with the stones he built an altar in the R715 name of the LORD, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two measures F304 of seed.
18:33
Then R716 he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid {it} on the wood.
18:34
And he said, "Fill four pitchers with water and pour {it} on the burnt offering and on the wood." And he said, "Do it a second time," and they did it a second time. And he said, "Do it a third time," and they did it a third time.
18:35
The water flowed around the altar and he also filled the trench with water.
18:36
At R717 the time of the offering of the {evening} sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, " R718 O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You R719 are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I R720 have done all these things at Your word.
18:37
"Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God, and {that} You have turned their heart back again."
18:38
Then the fire R721 of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
18:39
When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, " R722 The LORD, He is God; the LORD, He is God."


FOOTNOTES:F298: Or {revered} F299: Lit {a hundred men of the prophets} F300: Lit {limp on the two divided opinions} F301: Lit {The matter is good} F302: Lit {he gave} F303: Lit {limped;} i.e. a type of ceremonial dance F304: So some mss and the ancient versions; M.T. {he}
CROSS REFERENCES:R702: Joshua 19:26; 2 Kings 2:25 R703: 1 Kings 18:22 R704: 1 Kings 16:33 R705: 2 Kings 17:41; Matthew 6:24 R706: Joshua 24:15 R707: 1 Kings 19:10,14 R708: 1 Kings 18:19 R709: 1 Kings 18:38 R710: Psalms 115:4,5; Jeremiah 10:5 R711: Leviticus 19:28; Deuteronomy 14:1 R712: Exodus 29:39,41 R713: 1 Kings 19:10,14; 2 Chronicles 33:16 R714: Genesis 32:28; 35:10; 2 Kings 17:34 R715: Colossians 3:17 R716: Genesis 22:9; Leviticus 1:7,8 R717: 1 Kings 18:29 R718: Genesis 28:13; Exodus 3:6; 4:5; Matthew 22:32 R719: 1 Kings 8:43 R720: Numbers 16:28-32 R721: Genesis 15:17; Leviticus 9:24; 10:1,2; Judges 6:21; 2 Kings 1:12; 1 Chronicles 21:26; 2 Chronicles 7:1; Job 1:16 R722: 1 Kings 18:21,24