According to a recent survey, 90% of the news in the newspaper and on television is negative because that’s what human beings pay attention to. Apparently, consumers of cable and local television have become so desensitized that stories on positive current events is either ignored or drown out by the latest crisis. If you don’t believe me, just check out the death toll of the Coronavirus posted on nearly every news site. This reality has led me to search the Bible for prayers to emulate in a world searching for answers and hope.
After these things, the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick; and his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18 And she said to Elijah, What have you against me, O man of God? Have you come to me to call my sin to remembrance and to slay my son? 19 He said to her, Give me your son. And he took him from her bosom and carried him up into the chamber where he stayed and laid him upon his own bed, 1 Kings 17:17-19.
After listening to a sermon last weekend, I was reminded of the story of a poor single woman whose child was extremely ill. Sounds like a typical day in America, minus being unemployed and uninsured. After listening to the ordeals of this woman, Elijah feels compelled to do something. Sensing death was near, Elijah takes this boy into a small chamber and laid him upon a bed. Crying out to the Lord on behalf of this family, Elijah prays for a miracle, trying three times before finally reviving this little boy.
And Elijah cried to the Lord and said, O Lord my God, have You brought further calamity upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? 21 And he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord and said, O Lord my God, I pray You, let this child’s soul come back into him. 22 And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah, and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. 23 And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the [lower part of the] house and gave him to his mother; and Elijah said, See, your son is alive! – 1 Kings 17:20-23
Elijah’s prayer reminds me of Jesus’ encounter with Jairus’ daughter, Mark 5:22-42. While on his way to check on this twelve year old girl, Jesus is distracted by the needs of others. A woman suffering from a bleeding disorder, slows Jesus’ journey. By the time Jesus reaches Jairus’ home, weeping family members spread word of this girl’s death. Unwilling to accept this fate, Jesus enters her bedroom to pray “Talitha cumi,” little girl arise from your sleep. Jairus’ daughter was instantly healed. The next time you find yourself in a desperate situation, don’t be afraid to emulate one of these prayers from the Bible.
by Jay Mankus
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