TRANSFIGURATION PRAYER | Elijah Teaches Us to BELIEVE in Prayer | Convo #3

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:24 NIV

“Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ (He did not know what he was saying.)” Luke 9:32-33

SEEK HIM: Devotion is Meeting with God in Our Own Lives!

When Jesus spoke the words of Mark 11:24, He was teaching His disciples to call on God and believe in Him for more. This is what the Old Testament prophet Elijah modeled. Elijah’s life paints a vivid picture of what it means to believe God for more. When the skies closed in drought, he trusted that God would provide water from a lonely brook and food carried by ravens. When that brook dried up, he believed again, this time for a miracle in a widow’s kitchen. And when tragedy struck that same home, Elijah stretched himself over a lifeless child and prayed, believing God could breathe life again. Each moment trained Elijah’s heart to trust that the Lord is faithful, able, and near. When he climbed Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18 to face the prophets of Baal, he wasn’t guessing whether God would act; he knew the One he served. Elijah’s private faith prepared him for public prayer. Generations later, Elijah continued that discussion with God in person on the Mount of Transfiguration. (You can listen to the podcast introduction here.) Let’s see what we can learn from Elijah’s example about prayer, as we spend time with Jesus and “Seek Him” His Word today.

WHAT: What is God saying through this Scripture?

When Jesus spoke the words of Mark 11:24, He had just told them, “Have faith in God… whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes… it will be done for him” (Mark 11:22–23). Jesus wasn’t teaching them to command nature for their own glory; He was inviting them to trust their Father completely. The mountain in His lesson represents anything that seems immovable. Jesus was saying to pray with a faith that rests in God’s power, not in our own abilities. When He added, “Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it,” (Mark 11:24), He was calling His followers to be confident in God’s ability even before His answers. Elijah lived this kind of faith centuries earlier, believing God would act because he already trusted God’s character. ~ What would it mean for you to pray with this kind of confidence in God’s power? How can belief change the way you approach challenges that feel like mountains? What “mountain” in your life needs the confidence of this kind of believing prayer?

WHY: Why does this Scripture matter?

Believing prayer transforms fear into faith and hesitation into holy boldness. It pulls our attention from what we can’t do to what God can do. Elijah lived this truth centuries earlier. Long before the Mount of Transfiguration, Elijah stood alone on Mount Carmel praying, “Answer me, Lord, so these people will know that You, Lord, are God.” (1 Kings 18:37) Elijah prayed, believing God before he saw fire fall from Heaven. His faith wasn’t self-focused; it was about revealing God’s power to a watching world. This kind of bold, believing prayer can be the way we learn to pray as well. ~ Where might God be asking you to believe Him for more than you can see? How does faith-filled prayer reshape the way you view your circumstances? When has God shown His power because you dared to believe?

HOW: How does God want us to respond to this truth?

Ask God to deepen your faith so that prayer becomes your first response, not your last resort. Begin each conversation with Him by remembering His past faithfulness and expecting His present power. Elijah didn’t wait to see fire before believing; his belief in God prepared the way for fire to fall. Pray today with same expectation, asking God to move mountains and bring holy fire in ways that honor His will, reveal His glory and draw others to Himself. ~ How can you practice praying with expectancy rather than uncertainty? What step of obedience might demonstrate your belief that God is already at work? How will you remind yourself that the same God who answered Elijah still answers today?

SPEAK HIM: Discipleship is Making God Known to Others!

Elijah’s disciple Elisha watched his mentor walk closely with God. Elisha saw Elijah pray with courage, live with conviction, and believe God for the impossible. By the end of Elijah’s life, Elisha longed for that same kind of intimacy with the Lord, asking for a double portion of what Elijah had experienced with God. This is the heart of devotion-driven discipleship: our lives of prayer and faith should stir others to seek God for themselves. When people see our devotion—our steady, believing pursuit of God—they should want more of Him, too. Personal faith becomes generational influence when our private “Seek Him” becomes our public “Speak Him.” Like Elijah, may we live in such a way that those near us see what God has done in and through us and long for more of His presence in their own lives. Let’s “Seek Him, Speak Him” and, like Elijah, believe God for more as we pray today.