Specific Prayer
Whenever Elijah approached God in prayer as recorded in Scripture, he did not use vague generalities. He was specific in his petitions. James 5:17 tells us exactly what Elijah prayed for prior to confronting Ahab: a drought. When Elijah stood before the king and declared that there would be no rain for three years, he did so with the confidence that his fervent, specific prayer had been answered by God. We again see specific requests in the accounts of the resurrection of the son of the widow at Zarephath (17:20) and the showdown with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (18:36-37).
Elijah’s prayers were marked with specificity. In faith he lifted up his particular requests to God and God answered them specifically. Although we may not always receive the answer that we desire, it is important that we also pray with specificity. Perhaps one reason why so many people doubt the power of prayer is because they have never prayed in such a specific way, making it impossible to see whether God has specifically answered their prayers, whether that answer be yes or no.
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