“And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.”
Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops — the reversal through renewed prayer shows that Elijah's intercession equally controlled the restoration of rain (hyetos) and the earth's fertility (hē gē eblamyssen ton karpon, the earth sprouted/produced its fruit). The parallel structure ('he prayed... it did not rain' / 'he prayed... the heavens gave rain') shows Elijah's prayers as directly causal. The example demonstrates that prayer, when offered in alignment with God's will, possesses extraordinary efficacy.
Church Fathers on James 5:18
But since God, Who makes poor and makes rich, Who kills and makes alive; Who makes and transforms all things; Who turns night into day, Amos 5:8 winter into spring, storm into calm, drought into abundance of rain; and often for the sake of the prayers 1 Kings 18:42 of one righteous man James 5:16-17 sorely persecuted; Who lifts up the meek on high, and brings the ungodly down to the ground; since God said to Himself, I have surely seen the affliction of Israel; Exodus 3:7 and…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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