What does it mean that Elijah was a man with a nature like ours (James 5:17)?

James urges believers to take everything to God in prayer in every season of life. He reminds them that prayer is a high honor and a holy privilege (James 5:13–18). He highlights the prophet Elijah as a “righteous person” (James 5:16) whose prayers were powerful and effective: “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit” (James 5:17–18, ESV).

The phrase “nature like ours” is a translation of the Greek adjective homoiopathēs, which means “of like nature, similar in experience or feelings.” It conveys the idea of sharing the same human limitations and frailties. The word also appears in Acts 14:15, after God uses Paul and Barnabas to heal a lame man. The apostles tell the crowds who witness the miracle to stop treating them like gods, for they were merely human beings, “of like nature with you” (ESV).

The background of James’ example of Elijah is in 1 Kings 17–18. The passage recounts a time of great spiritual crisis in Israel’s history, when evil King Ahab and his queen, Jezebel, led the nation astray by worshipping the false god Baal (1 Kings 16:30–31). Elijah arrives on the scene, pronouncing God’s judgment on Ahab and His people in the form of a great drought that would end only when Elijah gave the word (1 Kings 17:1).

Elijah was a very godly man, but fundamentally, he was just an everyday person with desires, struggles, and imperfections. God used him in tremendous ways, but “Elijah was as human as we are” (James 5:17, NLT). He experienced human challenges like hunger, tiredness, fear, anxiety, depression, and loneliness. He faced criticism and the same temptations and burdens we all encounter.

James emphasizes that Elijah was not made of any superhuman substance. He had no extraordinary or larger-than-life qualities that might elevate his potential for prayer. He was made of flesh and blood, just like everyone else. What set Elijah apart in prayer—what gave him the ability to pray and get results—was not from having a nature different from us; it was his faith and trust in God. Elijah was filled with God’s Spirit because he spent time in God’s presence (1 Kings 17:1–6; 18:15, 36–39; 19:11–13).

Elijah was a fallen human being with a nature like ours in every way. Yet he sought close fellowship with God. As a result, on occasion, he was intimately in touch with God’s will. However, Elijah was not perfect. Immediately following his great victory on Mount Carmel, Elijah became fearful and discouraged, fleeing for his life (1 Kings 18:46–19:18). But according to James 5:16, Elijah was a “righteous man,” meaning he obeyed the Lord and trusted in Him.

Elijah’s prayers flowed from a place of communion and reliance on God, giving him confidence to pray in accordance with the Lord’s will. For this reason, Elijah’s prayers were powerful and produced outstanding results (1 John 5:14–15; John 15:7; Matthew 21:22). God’s promises of answered prayer extend to all His children, not only to those considered among the spiritual elite.

In saying, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours,” James wants us all believers to understand that we have an equal ability to pray powerfully and effectively. We have the same possibilities available to us in prayer as Elijah did. Importantly, James is not calling us to imitate Elijah’s miraculous works. Few people experience the kind of dramatic ministry that Elijah experienced. But all believers can strive to emulate his prayer life.

Elijah was an ordinary human who offered extraordinary prayers in faith. He knew God’s heart and trusted Him to do what He had promised. Through Elijah’s prayers, God did miraculous things—first stopping the rain for three and a half years and then providing rain again when Elijah prayed.

Elijah was a representative human with a nature like ours. His example challenges us to pray boldly. All believers can access the spiritual power in prayer that Elijah did by pursuing a close walk with God, so that we can know and follow His will.