Just like us...

The prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. James 5:16 and 17

Which prayers are powerful? The ones offered by a righteous man.
Which prayers are effective? The ones offered by a righteous man.

Elijah was a man just like me. This has to be one of my new favorite passages of Scripture. I have heard "the prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective" a gazillion times, but the following sentence just now struck a chord with me. Elijah was no one special. He wasn't extraordinary. He wasn't a super hero. He was just like me and his prayers were enormous. He prayed for rain to stop and it did. He prayed for rain to come and it did. He literally changed the course of nature with his prayers. That line "Elijah was a man just like us" is there for a reason. It reminds me that my offered prayers can have the same outcome. I have been made righteous through my faith in Jesus. Therefore, my prayers are powerful and effective. With this knowledge, my prayers have changed. They are now saturated with faith, expectation, and confidence.