Focus: Prayer Avails!

Text: Jam.5:16b

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

Prayer avails and prevails. James declares that prayer is a divinely ordained means of realizing divine results. The Message Bible says, "The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with." The Amplified Version says, "The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) is able to accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power]." 

The words 'effectual fervent' are one word in the Greek - energeo. Our word 'energy' is derived from it. 

Through our prayers God deploys His energy on our behalf. Through our prayer we tap into the boundless and productive energy of God.

The word 'availeth' is 'ischuo' in the Greek, and it speaks of forcefulness or a kind of muscular capacity. Behind every effect of God's power is His ischus - His almighty muscles that produce His desired, determined, required and expected results. The word for 'prayer' here implies an earnest pleading for help. It is a word (Gk., deisis) that recognizes a deep sense of need and urgency. When the righteous earnestly beseeches God, God ensures that he gets the kind of results which only the ability of God can make possible. 

God's power through our prayers achieves divine effects. There is always a flow of power when we pray by the Spirit's enabling.

Elijah prayed for it not to rain in the land of Israel. And God granted his request. He prayed again for it to rain, and God said yes to his prayer. He prayed not as a prophet that he really was, but as a mere man, like all of us.

Be our prayers prolonged and protracted, or brief and minute, it surely works. Peter prayed a very short prayer, "Lord, save me," and the Lord hearkened to, and rescued him (Mt.14:30). The Canaanite woman prayed briefly, "Have mercy on me, O Lord!" And again, she prayed, "Lord, help me," and the Lord answered her prayer and granted her request (Mt.15:22,25).

The disciples faced a fierce storm, and they shortly prayed, "Lord, save us: we perish," and the Lord stood up and commanded the storm to stop (Mt.8:25). A centurion called on the Lord for help. He said, "My servant lieth at home sick, grievously tormented" (Mt.8:6). The Lord weighed in and delivered his servant.

A father prayed the Lord, saying, "Help thou mine unbelief" (Mk.9:24). In other words, don't let my unbelief hinder nor limit the flow of Your power toward me! Neutralize my unbelief and grant my son relief! And his prayer worked. Blind Bartimaeus prayed, "Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me" (Mk.10:47). He prayed it persistently and persuasively, and then the Lord Jesus Christ asked him, "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee" (Mk.10:51). And he replied, "That I might receive my sight." Bartimaeus went home with his sight completely restored. Matthew reports that the disciples were troubled by a great storm that threatened to terminate their lives, and we read that they cried out for fear (Mt.14:26). The Lord Jesus Christ came to their rescue, walking on the water.

As you are reading this, I want you to begin to pray, pouring out your heart to the Lord. Call upon your God and make your requests known to Him. Tap into the resources of God's limitless power. Let God's power move on your behalf. Your prayer will avail and prevail by the power of the Lord. The Lord will give you an answer. You will see divine results. I await your testimony soon. Amen!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter