The prayer of the righteous
Glory to the Lord God Most High, the creator of the Heaven and earth. O perfect Father in Heaven, we thank you for your ever loving compassion towards us, you children. We draw towards your word today to draw the living water. Fill our hearts O Lord with your living water that will flow into eternity. We pray for those that do not have the access to your word as of now, that in your mercy you will send you word to them and if it pleases you, make us instruments to get the word across to them. We pray these all in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. ~ James 5:16b
I am convinced that in this generation, little or no one truly prays as we ought, to the extent that prayer has almost lost its potency. It has become just one of those phrases we use: I will pray about it when in reality, you probably do not mean it. We have directed all our attention to other things aside from praying. Our society has conditioned us to believe that prayer is the last resort when all else has failed. People often justify their little or no prayer with this statement: why waste time in prayer when you can get into action and cover a lot of ground? The truth is this God is looking for men of prayer that He can work through.
The church is so advanced that it now considers prayer primitive. The church now possesses the latest technologies, excellent organizational skills, and men of great oratory skills but little or no men that pray. We have forgotten the origin: the early church was born through prayer and sustained through prayer. Until the church returns, it will never experience true revival. Better technology, organization/planning, great intellect, good oratory skills even good worship music not accompanied by prayer will not bring revival: That was never God’s way, nor will it ever be.
Before us today is a text showing the potency of prayer if done the right way. Another translation (JB Phillips) of this verse goes thus: Tremendous power is made available through a good man’s earnest prayer. Two words stand out in this text: fervent and righteous. Here are two main ingredients of a successful prayer life. The Holy Spirit spoke about Elijah in this text. The Bible recorded that he did the supernatural through prayer, not through great intellect, organization/planning, or oratory skills. Elijah embodied the two ingredients mentioned in this scripture: he was earnest in prayer and a righteous man. You might be quick to say: that Elijah was no ordinary man like I am. Far from it, the following verse of this chapter reveals that he was a man with like passions as we are but prayed earnestly.
What gave Elijah the passion he had for prayer? I believe it was from him having a burden from the Lord. He came into the heart of God for the people of his nation. He felt the pain, sorrow, and the love of God for his people that he prayed that there should be no rain for three years according to God’s punishment for disobedience (Deuteronomy 11:17) and later prayed for rain in due time that the heart of the people turned back to God. Lack of burden is one of the few factors that plague our prayer life in this dispensation and has made prayer lose its potency. We do not know/share the heart of God for the world. Only men that know/share the heart of God can offer fervent prayers that will bring about a revival in this time. No better technology, more committees, or more money will sustain the church of God but more fervent prayers inspired by knowing the heart of God.
The early church understood the potency of prayer and never for once substituted prayer for anything. Prayer was what gave their ministry the life and the power it had. When there was a complaint against the administration of the church, men were appointed to meet that need, but the apostles devoted themselves to prayer and preaching the word (Acts 6:1-4). The early church never had technology as we do, financial backing, or men of high intelligence/good orator, but by prayer, they turned the world upside down. Some might say things were different back then is why they followed that approach. Now we have to follow a new system because of the difference in time. Jesus remains the same yesterday, today, and forever. So far, our new approaches are not working. Why don’t we go back to what worked?
When Jesus was on earth, all that He did was through prayer. Not that He could not do anything without prayer if he chose to, but so that he might lay an example for us to follow. We are Christians because we follow the pattern of Christ. Shall we not also follow Him in prayer? Oh, that God will open our eyes to the power of fervent prayer. There is a cross for us all to carry, and only through prayers. God is searching for men of prayer that He can share his burden with so that he might stay His wrath upon this generation. It is not an easy task as your life will be like a drink offering, poured out to God in the process(physically, spiritually, and emotionally), but you can rest assured that it will be worth it on that day when you behold him face to face.
Oh! For a Heart like My Saviour - Mary Warburton Booth
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