William Burkitt Notes and Observations - James 5:17 - 5:17

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William Burkitt Notes and Observations - James 5:17 - 5:17


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Our apostle in these words proves the general proposition he had laid down, that the fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much, by a particular instance, the example of Elias: who seemed to carry the keys of heaven at his girdle, to shut and open the heavens at his pleasure.

As the Lord liveth, there shall not be dew nor rain, but according to my word 1Ki_17:1 : the Apostle here tells us what word this was, namely, a word of prayer, and not a word of command; Elias prayed, and the heavens gave rain; he prayed in prayer, so the original; that is, he prayed with faith and fervency, according to the will of God revealed to him; and though he was a man subject to the common infirmities of human nature with ourselves, yet his passions did not hinder the prevalency of his prayers; nothing has wrought such wonderful effects in the world as prayer; it made the sun stand still in heaven, it brought fire out of heaven, 1Ki_1:10, and here it shut up the windows of heaven, that it rained not for the space of three years and six months: it has a divine kind of omnipotency in it.