“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 5:17-18).
Effective prayer is not an exclusive privilege which only the spiritually elite can exercise. Prayer’s effectiveness with the God of heaven—regardless of whether it is offered in Elijah’s day, James’ day, or our day—is in no way dependent upon the number of words or minutes used.
Elijah’s effectiveness in prayer was based upon three things—his character (he was righteous), his faith (he believed in God), and his fervency (he prayed earnestly). His prayers were heard and personally answered by God, not because he was a demigod; he was innately human just as you and I are. His prayers—the first for a drought (in 1 Kings 17:1) and the second for rain three and a half years later (in 1 Kings 18:1)—were not answered because he got lucky in prayer or because he was God’s prophet.
Like you, Elijah was not superhuman. He was prone to the same failures, weaknesses, and sins common to humanity. He needed food and water to live (1 Kings 17:4-6). He felt sorrow and heartbreak (1 Kings 17:20-21). He had enemies (1 Kings 18:10) and those who slandered him (1 Kings 18:17). He had moments of great faith (1 Kings 18) and great fear (1 Kings 19:2). He became depressed to the point of despair (1 Kings 19:4). He had dark days of discouragement and loneliness (1 Kings 19:10, 14, 19-21).
In Elijah’s day and ours, the effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much because of who God is and how great He is. Jehovah and His greatness are why you should pray when afflicted (James 5:13), pray for those who are sick (James 5:14-15), confess you faults to and pray for one another (James 5:16), and make fervent, specific, and bold petitions when you pray (James 5:16).
You should pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) because of who God is and how great He is.
Character, faith, fervancy; all that is needed for effective prayer.