The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will restore him to health; if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours; yet he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain in the land. Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced fruit. James 5:15-18 HCSB
I used to say that my mom was a really good prayer. I would often ask her to pray about situations in my life and it all seemed to work out fine, just as she had assured me it would. It wasn’t until I drew closer to Jesus through prayer and Bible study that I understood why Mom seemed to be so good at praying or why it seemed as though she had this direct line. I’ve come to realize that it wasn’t just that my mom was good at praying, but she was faithful and righteous. She loves the Lord with all her soul, all her heart, and all her mind. This dominates her life. It did before dementia and it does still. I have often been told that patients with dementia become mean. I have seen some become hard to handle. My mom had a real spitfire personality so you might think this would be the case with her, but no. She has maintained a sweet, loving demeanor. Even her doctor was surprised by this. I was not surprised, though, because I know that she has lived a life of service to the Lord. She has lived a life being faithful and righteous. She has devoted her life to serving Him.
Romans 3:23 tells us that we all sin, it’s just a part of our human nature. Isaiah 59:2 tells us that our sin builds barriers between us and God, causing Him to hide his face from us so that He does not listen. Hebrews 10:26 tells us that if we go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for our sins. This is talking about deliberate sin, when we know better but do it anyway. James 4:17 says that whoever knows the right thing to do, but fails to do it, for him it is sin.
As Christians we should always be striving for righteousness or wanting to maintain a right relationship with our Lord and Savior. This means that we don’t want to sin and we do our best to not sin. John 14:15 tells us that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. We won’t want to sin.
Being righteous isn’t something we can do every now and then, it’s a lifestyle. It’s something we strive to maintain in our every day living. We walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh (Galatians 5:16). We want to please God with the way we live our lives.
There was a time in my life when I lived in a way that caused God to hide his face from me. My sin had built a barrier between me and God. So, I now understand why it seemed as though God was not listening to my prayers. I now know why my mom’s prayers got results. She was a righteous woman who had faith in God.
Our prayers are just us talking to God. When we study His word, it’s Him talking to us. How are your conversations with God today? Are they kind of like throwing pennies in a wishing well and hoping that your wish will come true? Or, are they more like a Father/child relationship where you trust in Him to do the best for you and in return you want to live your life in a way that is pleasing to Him?
There is nothing better than kneeling down and talking to your heavenly Father in faith, trusting in Him to work all things out for your good (Romans 8:28) and to do what is best for you (Jeremiah 29:11). If you want to have real power in your prayers, trust in Him and live a lifestyle of righteousness.
When we seek to maintain a lifestyle of righteousness, we want His will to be done. Our want lines up with His will. This is when we can see the power in the prayer of a righteous person faithfully approaching their Father. I hope that you have reached a point in your life where you too are a good prayer. If not, draw near to Him and He will draw near to you (James 4:8). Enter into a right relationship with Him and enjoy being in constant communication with your heavenly Father(1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Have a great day!