James 5:16 says The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous
man availeth much.
The King James version is so rich. It’s an oft quoted verse that rolls off our
tongue but do we really grasp what I it means?
Let’s unpack it…
“Effectual” – this means “effective”. Well, duh, of course we want effective
prayers! The question is – how to do
that? How can we pray effectively? How do we pray so that He will answer with
“yes”? How do we pray “according to His
will”?
We pray His Word! His
Word is His Will! So when we pray His
Word, we can know He says Yes! How do we
do that? We will see in just a
second. Let’s unpack the rest of the
verse first…
“Prayer of a righteous man(woman)” – you might think,
there’s the catch, I’m not righteous enough! Thankfully, the effectiveness and
the much availing of our prayers does not depend on our righteousness! If we are in Christ, then His righteousness
is counted as ours. Hallelujah! Our fellowship with the Father can be
affected by our sin (Psalm 66:18) but our right standing before Him – and His
hearing of our prayers – is not based on our ability to be righteous.
“Availeth much” – brings about great and mighty work! The
work of our powerful and loving Heavenly Father. Working good in the lives of people. Granting good gifts. Changing the hearts of those in
authority. Bringing light into darkness.
Guidance and direction for us to follow.
Provision for our lack. Yes, that is the “much” we desire!
All this is the work of God.
What is our part?
“Fervent”. Showing
great intensity and perseverance. That
is our part. Persistent praying. Faithful faith. Deep desire. Although even this is possible because God
grants us His grace, this is where we have a part in seeing our prayers
answered. God is looking for women who
are willing to pray (Ezekiel 22:30) so that He might answer. He wants women who will not give up but will
persevere in praying.
Will you be one?
Here are some effectual prayers we righteous women can pray
fervently…and watch Him avail much!
For joy (Philippians 3:1)
For no bitterness (Hebrews 12:15)
For Godly friends (Proverbs 13:20)
For diligence (Romans 12:11)
To not be critical (Romans 14:13)
To have a
servant’s heart (Philippians 2:3)