When we lose confidence and passion in prayer we reduce the power of prayer.
- We don’t bring everything to God in prayer
- We don’t join with others in prayer
- We don’t see results in prayer
But the power of prayer can be restored in our lives. James 5:13-18 gives us two insights to increase our confidence and passion in prayer.
FAITH-FULL PRAYER IS A POWERFUL HEALER
- It can heal physical disease: “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up” (13-15a)
- It can heal spiritual disease: “And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (15b-16a).
Faith-less prayers are power-less prayers, but faith-full prayers are power-full prayers.
How do I know if my prayers are faith-full? Faith-full prayers are feeling-full prayers.
FERVENT PRAYER IS A POWERFUL FERTILIZER
- Fervent prayer is powerful: “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (16b)
- Elijah’s fervent prayer was powerful: “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit” (17-18).
Cold prayers kill fruit, but hot prayers fill with fruit.
LIVING THE BIBLE
Pray full of faith and fervency for powerful results
PRAYING THE BIBLE
Lord, we confess that we lose confidence and passion in prayer. We doubt prayer works, and we become half-hearted or even quarter-hearted in prayer. We ask your forgiveness for this.
Use this passage to teach us that faith-full prayer is a powerful healer, and fervent prayer is a powerful fertilizer. And give us prayer that is both full of faith and fervency for powerful results.
We thank you for the perfect prayers of Jesus which were full of faith and fervency. We thank you that his perfect prayers atone for our far-from perfect prayers. Amen.
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