Why a brutal $14/hour job feels like $50/hour to this Christ-follower

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 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 5:16-18)

My friend Josephina was so excited to tell me that she had finally landed a job packing boxes in a warehouse.

“Congratulations!” I said. “How’s the job going?”

“Well,” she said, “they are only paying us minimum wage and my boss is constantly screaming at me and my co-workers. But I feel like I get paid $50 an hour.”

“What!? Why?” I asked incredulously.

“Because every day I get to pray for my co-workers who are in that brutal environment.”

Josephina is excited about a tough, low-paying job because she understands the privilege and power of prayer—a theme James focuses on at the conclusion of his letter. 

James says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” He then turns our attention to Elijah and reminds us that, though he was an ordinary “human being,” Elijah boldly prayed for God to do extraordinary things. Throughout Scripture, Elijah’s prayers reveal a belief in God’s power that I know is often lacking in my own prayers—and perhaps yours as well.

While Elijah prayed for national-scale environmental judgment to last for three and a half years, we often stop at praying for rain to hold off for a single afternoon (see ​​James 5:17).

While Elijah prayed that God would turn an entire people’s hearts to him, we often limit our prayers to asking God to mend our singular broken hearts (see 1 Kings 18:17-39).

While Elijah prayed for God to raise the dead, our prayers can shrink into little more than requests to arrive safely at death (see 1 Kings 17:20-22).

Now don’t hear me wrong: God cares about every detail of our lives and invites us to bring him requests both “big” and “small” (see Philippians 4:6). But when we never get to the “big,” we inadvertently shrink our view of God’s power. We may declare with our mouths that we worship an awesome God, but our tiny prayers often betray our unbelief.

But here’s the thing: Because God is infinite, nothing is difficult for him in the way things are difficult for us. There are no “hard” things or “easy” things for God—just things. That truth should lead us to pray for the biggest things we can imagine—not by the world’s standards, but by God’s.

So as we close this series, pray and ask our all-powerful God to do a truly mighty work in your office and industry—not for your fame and fortune, but for his glory and the good of others.