Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.     James 5:16 NKJV

There are stories throughout the Bible where righteous men prayed, and God did great things. If you continue reading in James 5, James uses the example of Elijah. He said in verses 17-18 that Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

We know God can do all things. We have read about how He parted the Red Sea, caused the sun to stand still, shut the mouths of lions and allowed three men to go into a fiery furnace and come out unharmed and without even the smell of smoke on them. These are just a handful of the mysteries God has performed in the Bible and I’m sure you have examples of things He has done for you.

We know what God can do, but our Scripture says the prayer of a righteous man avails much. What does it mean to be a righteous man or woman? Well, none of us are righteous on our own. We are all works in progress. Romans 3:23 says we all sin and fall short of the glory of God.

On this earth we are striving for righteousness. We do this by seeking the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind. We love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind. We do the best we can do as mere mortals.

Elijah was a human being just like you and me, but he did the best he could do to please the Lord. He had times of failure just as we all do. Noah was counted as a righteous man and for this reason God decided to spare Noah and his family from the flood. Noah was not perfect, but he loved the Lord with all he had. He did his best to lead others to the Lord.

1 John 1:9 tells us if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This is the key. We can only be cleansed of our unrighteousness through God’s grace. His grace is a free gift, but it is never forced upon us. It’s there for the taking for those who seek it and accept it.

Have you ever struck out to do a job but just didn’t have the tool to do it. Well, prayer is the Christian’s most powerful tool. It should be our first line of defense.

When we strive for righteousness, our prayers avail much. What does that mean? Avail means help or benefit. We more often hear phrases like, “I tried, but to no avail.” In our Scripture passage, however, James says the prayer of a righteous man avails much. It can be of great help and benefit. We can see God work wonders through our prayers.

Consider our Scripture passage and what it tells us about the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man. We are told in Thessalonians 5:17 to pray without ceasing.

In his book series, Power of Prayer, R. A. Torrey said, “Prayer is the key that unlocks all the storehouses of God’s infinite grace and power. All that God is, and all that God has, is at the disposal of prayer. Prayer can do anything God can do, and God can do anything.”

Never underestimate the power of prayer.

Have a great day!