Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. James 5:16 NLT
We all know what prayer is in one way or another. We know that in prayer we tell God what’s on our hearts, assuming He hears us and will answer. We believe everyone has the right and the welcome to pray. We want our prayers to “have great power and produce wonderful results,” as James states.
But not as many of us realize or act as though we know this kind of powerful prayer has some built-in requirements or standards. What preparation is required for powerful prayer?
First, powerful and effective prayer must start with right relationships with God and others. Powerful pray-ers keep a clean relationship between God and themselves, then between themselves and other believers. James, the brother of Jesus, instructs us that as we have clean, right relationships with each other and pray, we will find healing. That’s not simply physical healing; we have wounds and brokenness, significant sickness mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Confession and forgiveness, right relationships with God and our spiritual family, lay the foundation for wholeness in all of life.
Second, powerful and effective prayer comes from a righteous person. In the Bible, a righteous person is someone who is morally upright and acceptable in the eyes of God. While no one is inherently righteous because of our sin, those whom God considers righteous are those who have been made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. In a love response to what God has done for them, righteous people seek to become like Jesus, demonstrating faith, and seeking to do what is right.
Third, when that prepared righteous person prays, the prayer is earnest, sincere, serious, eager, intense, and urgent. It's not casual or superficial but rather a focused, passionate, and persistent effort to connect with God, with a deep commitment and belief that God can and will act.
- When we are prepared to pray from the heart, not perfectly, but in right relationship with God through Jesus, and living out our faith in our relationships, we can be assured that God hears and will answer our sincere, persevering prayers. How will you approach Him today?