If James had simply said, “Elijah prayed and incredible things happened,” many of us could easily dismiss the example. Of course Elijah prayed powerfully—he was Elijah! He was one of the great prophets of the Old Testament. His story includes miracles, confrontations with kings, and even fire falling from heaven. Elijah can feel very different from an ordinary person trying to get through an ordinary week.

But James goes out of his way to tell us something before describing Elijah’s prayer: “Elijah was a human being, even as we are.” Elijah was not a spiritual superhero. If you read his story, you discover moments of great courage, but you also discover exhaustion, fear, disappointment, and discouragement. At one point, Elijah became so overwhelmed that he wanted to give up. James’ point is not that Elijah was extraordinary. His point is that Elijah’s God was extraordinary.

Prayer is not reserved for pastors, missionaries, or people who have followed Jesus for decades. You do not need to know the whole Bible before you pray. You do not need to be comfortable praying out loud. You do not even need to know exactly what to say. Jesus has made the way to the Father available to anyone who trusts Him. Our righteousness is not something we earn by becoming flawless. We are made right with God through Jesus, who took our sin upon Himself and rose from the dead. Our confidence to pray is through Christ.

James says that when Elijah prayed, the rain stopped, and later he prayed again and rain came. James is not teaching us that prayer allows us to control nature—or control God. He is showing us that ordinary human beings can bring real requests to the extraordinary God who acts. Prayer is not powerful because you become impressive. It is powerful because you are speaking with the One who created heaven and earth.

Perhaps the greatest obstacle to prayer for you is simply the thought, “Who am I to pray?” You are a human being who needs God, just like Elijah did. That is enough reason to begin. If you are frightened, pray. If you are discouraged, pray. If you feel spiritually weak, pray. If you have messed up, come to Jesus, receive His grace, and pray. Your weakness does not surprise God.

It’s also possible that you have prayed for something before, and the answer was not what you hoped - so now you protect yourself by asking for very little. You are invited back to God. Bring the request. Keep your hands open. Say the last word first: “Amen.” Then ask anyway. Ordinary people can pray bold prayers because we belong to an extraordinary God.