A Marathon or a Sprint?

- Pastor Dale Oquist

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV)

Wouldn’t you like to pray like Elijah and see things happen instantly? Elijah has a showdown with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel to prove who should be worshipped. The prophets of Baal went first and cried out from morning until afternoon for Baal to destroy their altar. Not unexpectedly, nothing happened.

Elijah stepped up and prayed, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.” Immediately, fire fell from heaven and consumed the altar, proving that Jehovah was supreme.

James highlights a moment when Elijah prayed for a drought, “Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!” Wouldn’t it be great to pray once and see the result? Of course, we think it would, but it would make our interactions with God transactional rather than built on relationships.

Imagine a relationship in your life that moves from relational to transactional. Maybe with a spouse or parent. How would that transactional relationship affect your feelings about them? If God became your ATM, would you even care about His thoughts, feelings, plans, and ideas? No, you’d only be focused on what you wanted. You would whine and complain when He told you no because your request wouldn’t be good for you.

After Elijah prayed for the rain to stop, it stopped. One prayer, one answer. When Elijah prayed for the rain to return, his prayer was not answered instantly. Elijah went back seven times and continued to ask until the Lord answered. I feel that Elijah would have stayed there until the prayer was answered. He wasn’t going to stop until the Lord answered His prayer.

Elijah didn’t complain or fret when his prayer wasn’t answered instantly. He continued to seek the Lord’s face and pray for His answer. Elijah was more concerned about the relationship than the immediacy of the response. Sometimes, when we pray, it’s a sprint. We pray fervently, and the Lord answers immediately. Other times, when we pray, it’s a marathon. We pray fervently, and the Lord answers eventually. We pray without ceasing because we should focus more on the relationship with the one who answers our prayers rather than the answer itself.

Make a Difference:

Commit to praying regularly throughout the day. Tell God about your struggles and thank Him for what you see around you. Build your relationship with Him, then make your requests known.

As You Read:

Celebrate the victories we see with Elijah and note the number of times God answers prayers. Just like Elijah, we may have to pray several times (or several hundred times) before seeing the Lord’s movement. He hasn’t forgotten; He’s waiting for the precise moment.