AVAILETH MUCH
AVAILETH MUCH
James 5:16, Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
How much have Christians really studied this verse?
Prayer meetings are the Work of God….”where two or three are gathered in My Name, there am I in the midst of them” But are we doing it correctly?
According to James 5:16, confession of faults should precede any intercessory prayer. The reasons for that is to clear our minds of any controversy, and receive forgiveness for our sins, to put down the workings of the devil in accusing us. This puts us in bare contact with God, enabling us to see Him, to submit to His Will in the situation, which opens the door for God to change people, guide people, or change circumstances, according to His Will in the situation.
Prayer meetings should put us in contact with the Lord within ourselves, so we can be effectual in praying for others. They should be repentance and praise meetings also.
The main words in this verse are not just descriptive words, but action words. The Greek word used for “effectual” for “fervent”, and for “availeth” are all the same word. It means to be efficient, to be mighty in, to show forth self, and work effectually at.
This is interesting, and mind-opening, because these words are used to describe our prayer, not God’s miracle we are seeking. This means that our prayer should be:
“efficient”—-focusing, not only on the situation, but on the Lord, and what He would have us pray. If we are not praying the Holy Spirit’s prayer, it is worthless.
“To be mighty in”—–Remember, this is describing our prayer, not God’s work. We are to be mighty in prayer…..ardently seeking Our Lord’s will, and standing mightily against the workings of the devil in Jesus’ Mighty Name. This does not mean that we dictate to God, instead, we are to submit to His Will, and come humbly to the foot of His Throne, but we stand in His might against evil.
“To show forth self”——to be effective in any prayer, the foremost thing is to be pure before God…to be open, confessing everything that we know we’ve done, as well as things we may not know. Repentance is a powerful thing in itself because it opens the door to our relationship with God, and to His working through us.
“To work effectually at”——-to put forth the effort to connect with God, not just say the same words as others….not just praying for the obvious, but being one with Our Lord so that we feel what He wants to do for the person for whom we are praying. This takes effort and patience, but it will reap great blessings both for us and the other person.
Live in the Light of Our Lord 