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"AND HE PRAYED AGAIN." "Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit." (James 5:17-18)James writes concerning the importance of prayer in various situations, whether one is in trouble, happy, or sick. He emphasizes that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective, using Elijah as an example of one who prayed again till the answer came.Years ago, I was reading about the life of George Müller, 1805-1898, who was a rebellious young man whom God saved in his twenties. Müller later founded and was the Director of the Ashley Down Orphanage in Bristol, England. He was concerned about the needs of the many orphans whom he saw on the streets. But his primary reason for founding the orphanage was to demonstrate that God is still the One Who hears and answers the prayers of His children and that it is never in vain to trust the Lord.During his 60 years of ministry, Müller cared for 10,024 orphans. He was well known for providing an education to the children under his care. He also established 117 schools which offered a Christian education to over 120,000 children, many of them being orphans.Müller and his wife literally sold or gave away everything that they owned and donated the money to the Lord’s work. He would regularly pray the Scriptures, then ask God to provide for their own needs and the needs of the orphans. It was his practice, in his later years, to read through the entire Bible four times a year. Müller's favorite verse was Psalm 81:10b, “...open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." Over the next 6 decades, George Müller saw God faithfully provide for as many as 2,000 orphans at a time, all in response to prayer.Müller never disclosed any needs to potential donors, even if they asked. He and his staff would pray, and then pray again and watch their prayer-hearing and prayer-answering God provide the exact amount that they needed on the day they needed it. Year after year he "prayed again", and the donations came!You know, whenever I read those 4 words concerning the ministry of Elias (Elijah), "And he prayed again", I can't help but think about the many men and women, both in the Scriptures and those whose names are not found in the Bible, who prayed, and then "prayed again" until they heard from the Throne of Grace.Friends, have we prayed over some situation in our life and the answer still has not come? Is there the salvation of some close friend or dear family member that we have interceded for, yet the fruit of that prayer is still unseen? May it be said of us one day that we continued to storm Heaven with our requests like Elijah of old did with his testimony, "And he prayed again."