In James 5, James was encouraging his Christian readers to pray by pointing out the example of Elijah: “Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops” (James 5:17-18).

Elijah, James said, was just a human being like the rest of us, but his prayer led to a long drought. This passage seems to say that Elijah prayed that it would not rain, which stopped rain from falling, and then prayed for the rain to start again, which ended the drought. This suggests that Elijah essentially controlled the rain through prayer. The problem with this interpretation is that it reduces God to a passive dispensing machine—we insert the proper coins of prayer and get what we prayed for. We want healing, so we pray for it, and healing happens.

But is that what really happened in the Old Testament story of Elijah (1 Kings 17-18)? The Old Testament does not reveal how or what Elijah prayed. He just showed up one day and announced that it was not going to rain. Was this announcement his idea? One clue is that Elijah’s next steps were all dictated by God—God told Elijah where to go so that God would provide for Elijah during the drought. And then God told Elijah to announce that “I will send rain on the land” (1 Kings 18:1). It was God who decided to bring the drought and then decided to end it.

So what did Elijah do? It is quite possible that he prayed that God would do something about the disobedient and unfaithful condition of the people of Israel and made himself available as God’s servant to do whatever God wanted him to do to help with the answer. Elijah’s part in the miracle was not controlling the weather but merely announcing what God was going to do.

For us, this passage means that we should absolutely pray for healing and many other things, but it does not mean that we can control God’s answer, what He will do with the situation we have brought to Him.