by Stephen Judd
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Most Christians are familiar with the words of James:
“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” —James 5:16 NKJV
It is one of the Bible’s great promises concerning prayer.
The familiar KJV expression, “the effectual fervent prayer,” is especially interesting. The expression “effectual fervent” translates a single Greek word that carries the idea of something being active or at work.
The English Standard Version captures the thought this way:
“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
That phrase has stayed with me.
It paints a picture of what I simply call the working prayer.
Prayer is far more than a religious exercise or comforting routine. It is one of the primary ways God has chosen to accomplish His purposes in the earth. In His sovereignty, He invites us to participate in His work through prayer.
James illustrates this truth with Elijah.
What is remarkable is that God had already promised to send rain. Yet Elijah still climbed Mount Carmel and prayed until the promise was fulfilled.
God’s promises did not eliminate Elijah’s responsibility to pray. They invited it.
Perhaps that is why James also writes, “You do not have because you do not ask.” —James 4:2 NKJV
How many blessings remain unrealized simply because they have never been asked for?
As James points us to Elijah, we discover what the working prayer looks like.
First, it is a prayer of faith
Elijah prayed because he believed God’s Word.
Faith is not trying to persuade God to do what we want. Faith is agreeing with what God has already said.
The working prayer begins with confidence in the character and promises of God.
Second, it is a prayer from righteousness
James does not merely say that prayer avails much. He says it is the prayer of a righteous person that avails much.
Repentance is essential because it restores our fellowship with God. But we do not stop there.
We don’t merely pray for righteousness. We pray from righteousness.
Prayer becomes the joyful expression of a heart walking in fellowship with God, confident not in our own merit but in His grace.
Third, it is a specific prayer
Elijah prayed specifically for rain.
Too often our prayers become vague. While there is certainly a place for broad prayers, the working prayer brings definite requests to a definite God.
The more clearly we place our requests before the Lord, the more clearly we recognize His answers when they come.
And when we recognize His answers, our faith grows.
Finally, the working prayer is persistent
Elijah prayed again and again.
Each time he sent his servant to look toward the sea, the report was the same:
“There is nothing.”
But Elijah kept praying.
Finally, a small cloud appeared on the horizon.
It wasn’t much.
But it was enough.
It was the first visible evidence that God was already at work.
Sometimes we pray and see nothing. Days become weeks. Weeks become months. Yet even in the waiting, God is working.
Sometimes He is preparing circumstances.
Sometimes He is preparing other people.
And sometimes He is preparing us.
While we are waiting for God to work around us, He is often doing His greatest work within us.
So don’t despise the little cloud. It may be God’s gracious reminder that His answer is already in motion.
James reminds us that Elijah was “a man with a nature like ours.” —James 5:17 NKJV
That may be the greatest encouragement in the entire passage.
What made the difference was not the greatness of Elijah.
It was the greatness of the God to whom he prayed.
And that God has not changed.
So let us pray with faith.
Let us pray from righteousness.
Let us pray specifically.
Let us pray persistently.
The working prayer is not merely a prayer that is spoken. It is a prayer through which God is pleased to work.
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This reflection is adapted from a sermon also available on this website.
