So I’m working to understand this verse better:

 

 

Confess your faults one to another,

 

and pray one for another,

 

that ye may be healed.

 

The effectual fervent prayer

 

of a righteous man (or woman) availeth much.

 

 

(King James’ version of James 5:16—beautiful poetic language that I often have to ponder in order to internalize)

 

Other versions use these words:

 

Powerful

Great power

Supplication

Wonderful results

Can accomplish much

Very powerful

Continual prayer

Heartfelt supplication

Insistent prayer

Very strong

 

I positively don’t want to waste my time praying wimpy limp-along prayers that don’t accomplish much. So I’m striving to be a better pray-er. (perhaps that’s a key; maybe it’s not so much praying better prayers, as it is being a better pray-er)

 

I read in Matthew Henry’s commentary that one needs to be careful to actually pray in prayer. I paused for much thought there. Then caught myself this morning saying words while my focus was really on the pictures I was taking; and I’m pretty certain there’s no such thing as half-hearted effectual fervent prayer.

 

God doesn’t want me to treat his listening presence as if I can contain it on the back burner.

 

And there’s not a cookie cutter design for prayer because God says:

 

 

“When you pray,

 

don’t babble on and on

 

as people of other religions do.

 

They think their prayers are answered

 

merely by repeating their words again and again.

Matthew 6:7

 

 

However, God was so meticulous when he gave his OT worship instructions to Moses that I have to believe some conditions and methods are more effective than others.

 

I asked some friends what they think the verse means:

 

Without ceasing (3 repeats)

With an honest heart.

Takes a lot of intentionality to be constantly aware of God’s presence during prayer.

Pray with conviction.

Just pray!

Be consistent.

Sometimes pray with a broken heart.

Desperate.

Honest.

Like you are on fire and you just want to burn hotter and you don’t want to stop or even have a slow down—if that makes sense.

Pray believing and often.

 

I even listened to one of Dr. David Gibbs, Jr.’s sermons on prayer:

 

Get clean

Be righteous & clean

Be faithful to pray

Expect answers

Expect God to do the impossible

 

My personal takeaway:

Lord,

 

please teach me how

 

to be a pray-er

 

who prays fervent

 

effectual prayers

 

that avail much.

 

Amen