Pray With Power And Confidence

The earnest, (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]. - James 5:16 Amplified

Beginning in James 5:13, James describes a lifestyle that centers around conversation with God. He says that when we are in trouble, we should pray, when we are happy, we should praise, when we are sick, we should receive prayer and be healed, when we sin, we should be open about it, confess to one another, and receive fresh forgiveness from the Lord.

In verse 16, James makes this amazing statement. He says without reservation that the prayer of a righteous man (person) is powerful and effective. That’s great news, because from our end it doesn’t always feel that way. But we don’t build a powerful Christian life on our feelings or on the way things look in the natural, but on God’s Word–right?

So here the Word of God says that your prayers are effective and powerful. You might say, “No, that verse says that the prayers of a righteous person are powerful, but I yelled at my wife, kicked the dog, ran a red light on the way to work, and cheated on my time card today. So much for my prayers.” Well, OK, sounds like a lousy way to start the day, but you’re missing the point.

Remember, righteousness describes our position before God, His acceptance of us, His undying love for us, and faithfulness to us, not our condition of more or less holiness. Righteousness is a position of favor and acceptance that Jesus won for us and gave us as a gift. When I was a little kid, I can remember being at the County Fair with my big brother. We went by one of those booths with a crane in it that can pick up various toys and prizes. There was a miniature camera in there that I wanted bad, but I was too small to even reach the controls, let alone actually work the crane and get the prize. So my big brother stepped up, put his own money in the machine, and got that camera on the first try. I was really excited about what he had done, the Carney seemed less than enthused, but I was really proud of him. Then to my surprise, he turned around and gave me the camera. Just like that–he turned over this precious thing that he had paid for and won to me. No doubt I ruined it within a day, but he didn’t care. He seemed to enjoy my joy over it. Jesus earned the place of righteousness and gave to us as a gift. He wants us to enjoy it.

So, we are righteous all the time, meaning God’s door is always open to us, He never rejects us, and He views us through what Jesus did on our behalf, not based on what we have done. That doesn’t mean that sin doesn’t matter, it matters a lot because it releases death into our lives and messes with our heart’s openness to God.

But, and get this, my prayers and your prayers are making tremendous power available, generating a flow of divine power, not just when our behavior is perfect, but every moment that we are praying with confidence in the finished work of Jesus. Sweet!! Righteousness means I can go to God in a time of need with all confidence. I’m not there to convince Him of my need, He was already convinced of human need, that’s why He gave His Son for us. I’m not there to get Him to do something on my behalf, He already made all provision for me in Christ. I am there to see and hear His heart. I am there to discern what part of the provision that belongs to me in Christ I need to bring into the trouble spot and release. I am there to get any correction, encouragement, or equipment that He says I need for the occasion.

Powerful prayer. It is yours and mine all the time. Let’s use it!