God answers prayer. Sometimes our prayers are well formed utterances,
but often prayer is the response of our heart to the situation we find
ourselves in. The Guidepost Magazine had a short article in the December
issue of a lady who had purchased items for a child in response to the
Angel Tree ministry. She purchased a wristwatch, a pair of athletic shoes,
size six, and yellow fleece jacket for a young boy, but then she came
down with the flu and forgot to deliver them in time.
The following Sunday she was at church when a prayer request was made
for a grandmother who was raising her grandson and they didn’t have anything
for the boy for Christmas. They had requested some items from Angel Tree
but they hadn’t arrived. After the church service the lady asked what
the boy wanted for Christmas. He wanted a wristwatch, a pair of athletic
shoes, size six, and a yellow jacket. God answered prayer!
Has God answered your prayers?
From people in our congregation I have heard several stories about
God answering prayer. There have been car accidents that could have been
fatal which created no problems at all; a wife who prayed and her husband
was set free from alcoholism a number of years ago; a child that was
still-born, lived; cancer has been healed; one of our former military
men experienced the hand of God in saving his life; there have been business
contracts that worked in response to prayer; and I’m sure there are many
others. We must admit that God does not always do things the way we would
do them, but He does hear and answer prayer!
James encourages us to pray for one another and to pray for those who
are sick, then he makes this statement:
James 5
16… The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly
that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years
and six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced
its fruit.
Last Sunday we read the story of Elijah. He was a great man of faith,
but he also had his moments of discouragement and despair! When his life
was threatened he laid down in the desert and asked God to let him die!
I believe James used him as an example of God’s ability to answer prayer
because we are too often like Elijah. Being fickle, we are willing to
praise God when we see immediate response of God to our prayers, but
we often run in fear and forget God’s power when life is not responding
as we had hoped! Elijah did! Yet he is still remembered as a mighty man
of God who saw miracles in response to his prayers.
I think James has a word for us about prayer. First of all, prayer
is based upon our relationship with God and not upon our emotions.
Job was quite emotional about the state of his existence after losing his children,
his wealth, and his health. Listen to his words:
Job 3:1
1 Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.
3 "May the day perish on which I was born …
4 May that day be darkness …
5 May a cloud settle on it; May the blackness of the day terrify it.
6 May it not come into the number of the months.
9 May the stars of its morning be dark …
11 Why did I not die at birth?
I think he was a little distraught, don’t you? Have you ever been as
emotional about your situation as Job? We seem to think we should be
in the place of God and then we would make everything work according
to our plan! But isn’t God all knowing and all wise? If we were able
to make things work our way … would it be wise?
There are a number of Godly people in the Bible who were upset at how
life was going for them. Noah was apparently despondent after the flood
had wiped out all humanity and he got drunk. Abraham was fearful of losing
his life and his wife … so he lied to protect himself. David’s poetry
reveals a heart that was frequently filled with faith, but was just as
often filled with emotional questions as to the whether God would help
him or not! Elijah ran when threatened. Jeremiah the weeping prophet
had times when he questioned the wisdom of God in how God was bringing
judgment upon Israel. As John the Baptist waited for his execution in
prison he sent a runner to ask Jesus, “Are you the one?” Peter denied
him and the other disciples all left Him to face the Sanhedrin alone.
Are these the great examples of faith who are representative of those
who saw miracles and healings happen in their ministries? Yes. Faith
is based upon relationship and not upon emotions. Emotions can easily
run in both directions. At one moment when everyone around seem excited
about God’s working it is easy to have faith. But when things are difficult
it is easy for our emotions to run with Elijah! But our relationship
with Jesus is based upon His Word which He has given to us!
Should we give our emotions free reign in our prayers? While David
often expressed his emotions freely, listen to what James said about
faith:
James 1
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally
and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like
a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the
Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
If you know the stories of Job, Abraham, David, Elijah, Jeremiah, John the
Baptist, Peter, and the disciples … you will know that God allowed these
trials to come into their lives in order to transform them. Job was reproved;
he repented and received a double blessing. Abraham was tried by God and
found faithful. David went through the proving ground in order to be prepared
to be king. Elijah was examined by God then he was given a new challenge.
Jeremiah was questioned by God as to whether he could run with the horses
if he was having such a hard time running with footmen. John the Baptist
was encouraged by Jesus’ words. Peter and the disciples were confronted by
the risen Lord and given instructions for ministry. Their hard times and
the resulting time of soul searching brought greater ministry and greater
rewards into their lives! God used their emotional times as a time for instruction.
God is not in the business of pampering our emotions, but instead He
uses these times for examining our hearts! It’s a time for asking wisdom!
It’s a time for committing to God that you will act in faith … beyond
your doubts … beyond your emotions! If you continue to follow your emotions
and not your faith, James says that you will become unstable in all your
ways.
James’ instruction for great prayers is …
James 5
16… The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
A righteous man includes all those who walk with Christ in faith. If
you are in rebellion towards God there is no promise of God answering
your prayer! If that is where you are then your prayer of faith needs
to begin with words of repentance. The Psalmist said that God will not
hear the prayer of someone who “regards iniquity in their heart.” The
Scripture also says that having unforgiveness toward others and not treating
your wife in a loving manner will also hinder your prayers! Effective
prayers have a right relationship with God and with others.
The words “effective” and “fervent” are actually a compound
word in the Greek: energouménee, which gives the sense of “energetic.”
The question seems to arise in some as to whether the prayer is energized
by the Holy Spirit, or if the praying person is energetic in his prayers!
While Elijah may have been emotional in his prayers … it was obviously
the energy of the Holy Spirit that did the work! We could say …
16 … a Holy Spirit energized prayer of a Christian avails much.
A Holy Spirit energized prayer is one that God answers. It is a prayer
that originates from God as He speaks into our spirit His Word as we
ask Him for wisdom. It is a prayer that is confident in what we have
heard and therefore speaks with words of faith that do not come from
us but from God!
We want prayers which “avail much.” In other words … prayers that get
answered. So look at the emotions that are in your heart. Let God examine
the cause of those emotions. Is it fear? Is it anger? Then let God confront
the cause, cure the emotion, establish His Word in you as He gives you
wisdom. Then pray His prayer.
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