Wednesday February 19
“The Effectual Fervent Prayer”
Luke 11:1-4
1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." 2 So He said to them, "When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one."
James 5:16-18
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
In Luke 11:1-13, the Lord is teaching His disciples to pray. Over the past few days, we have been talking about the importance of prayer in our lives, and for the world around us! If there is anything we need to learn to do, it is to pray. We go to school for twelve years to get an education so we can get out and get a job to make money. We might go for four or more years so we can make more money. We might go to Bible College to learn how to preach and teach the Bible, learn to be a pastor or church leader, and that is all well and fine. But we rarely take classes or spend the time to learn how to pray.
We must realize by now that an education, job skills, money and a good economy, is not what it going to take to save your marriage, to bring your children back to God, to heal your broken heart, to give you mental, emotional, and spiritual peace. They will not save our country either. I know I sound like a broken record, but the answer to the divisions, the economy, the social and cultural issues in America, are not going to be found in the White House, the Congress, the State Legislators, but in our own houses where righteous believers know how to pray “effectual fervent” prayers.
When I think of prayer, I can’t help but think of James 5 and the prayer of Elijah. He was a man just like us; “subject to like passions”. He had the same type of problems, challenges, emotions, and issues. His country Israel was in a mess under the heathen pagan leadership of Ahab and Jezebel. The whole nation was following the religion of Baal worship. Today, for the most part, America is following the religion of humanism. The worship of self! We live to please ourselves. That’s humanism!
The last verse in Judges 21:25 says, “Everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes”. The land was filled with chaos, confusion, anarchy, and violence. What is the answer. Like Elijah, we can get right with God and pray! The promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14-15 is still in the Bible and available for us today! “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.”
The Lord’s model prayer reminds us of our need for our Father’s presence in our lives and families. Of the need of our Father's guidance in joining Him in His kingdom work so His will is done on earth as it is in heaven. Of the need of our Father’s provision every day both physically and spiritually. And of our daily need for our Father's pardon for our sins.
In order for us to pray effectual fervent prayers that avail much, we must have pure hearts and clean hands (James 4:7-10). As we submit our lives to the Lord, the devil must flee. As we confess our sins, our hearts are purified. As we join the Father in His kingdom work, our hands are cleansed.
Amazing and wonderful, miraculous things can happen when we really learn to pray! In my Bible, Jeremiah 33:3 still says: 'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.' And we can never forget the promise of Ephesians 3:20: “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us”.
By God’s grace we should seek to learn to pray “effectual fervent prayers that avail much”!
God bless!
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