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We've all read the verse. "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16)
Well
I don't know about you, but I think we all want our prayers to
"availeth much," to hit the mark, to be effective. But that one verse
often causes people to pause and ask the questions:
Am I effective?
Am I fervent?
Am I righteous?
Uh oh.
Now before you think this criteria automatically excludes you, let's back up and run over that again.
Here's how The Message interprets that verse:
"The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with."
We
often look to others (those "prayer warriors") as the people who are
particularly called or anointed to minister in this way. But God has
called all of us--all those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ--to
pray this effectual fervent prayer.
And what of our righteousness? Well the Bible says our own righteousness is nothing more than filthy rags anyway.
We
are clothed in righteousness ONLY when we trade our own garments for
the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Remember the old song: I am covered over with a robe of righteousness that Jesus gives to me.....and when He looks at me He sees not what I used to be, but He sees Jesus?
So,
good people, you're as ready as you'll ever be! Our call as believers
is to pray. Dr. Francis MacNutt, after an exhaustive study of the early
church in Acts, writes, "The clear implication is that healing and
liberation are the mission of the church. We still have the sick with
us, and we are still standing in the need of being made whole."
Come pray with us, and together may we be a force on this earth that is "something powerful to be reckoned with!"
Greg
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