As I've been seeking another staff position people continue to ask me what is going on, so certain people I text updates to. This week I got an email from a pastor about a potential position and emailed my Proverbs 18.24 brothers. One of them responded with "Yeah. prayers of the righteous availeth much" and over the last few days I've been thinking about that verse.
James 5.16b, "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." (NASB)
What makes this prayer effective? What makes it accomplish so much? The key to this verse is the word righteous.
When people consider the word righteous they probably think most often of one of the disciples, Billy Graham, or some really old Christian who has lived for Jesus for 75 years. Yeah, those people are righteous, but it doesn't take walking with Jesus in the flesh, preaching the Gospel to millions, or being really old in order to be righteous.
Righteousness is a right standing relationship with God. It means that there is nothing in the way of our communication with God, there is nothing stopping us from going before Him, there is nothing keeping us from communicating with Him. Why is the prayer of a righteous person effective? Because there is an open line of communication to present it to God.
It isn't that some 85 year old saint of the church knows the right words to pray for God to respond. Have you heard children pray, the simplicity and beauty of their prayers captivates the Heart of God. It doesn't take presenting the Gospel to the entire world in order to earn the right to speak to God. Have you ever heard the prayer of someone who has just come to faith after a lifetime in sin, the love and gratitude is lavished on the heart of the Father and He rejoices over it. It doesn't mean that we had to walk around Israel 2,000 years ago with Jesus, we simply must walk with Him today.
The cross paved the way to the Father. The cross opened the path of communication with God. When we simply enter into a relationship with God through the blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are in a right standing relationship with God. We are righteous.
"The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
Peace be with you
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