The effective prayer of a righteous man

James 5:16–18 NKJV

16 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. 17 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. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

The key to an effective prayer

fervent/earnest

righteous man

These men who were very powerful, whom God used greatly, did not just pray any kind of prayer, they were praying an effective prayer that had greate power “avail much” which really means it has great power or it prevails.

The Man Elijah

This man was a man greatly used of God, his successor Elisha described him as “the chariots of Israel and its horsemen” (2 kings 2:12 )

He was the stregth of Israel, it was through him that God kept the enemies of israel at bay, and God gave victory to his people and restored and returned his people unto himslef.

James first of all before he reveals to us the secret of his power, lets us know that it was not in his nature, but rather in his prayer.

This man was greatly used of God because he was a man of prayer, and not just any prayer, but prayed an effective prayer.

Elijah”s nature

There was nothing attractive or peculiar about his nature

he was a heiry man and put on leather belt and wore sacloth wherever he went

he was a very vulnerable man

He was sometime fearful and there were time he fled from his enemies.

He was acquented with depression, he wanted to die and not live any more.

He struggled with low esteem, there were time were he felt and said that “ he was no better than his fathers

The scripture is revealing to us, that his power was not on his nature, it was not because he was some special person.

Moses and Elijah in the Mount of transfiguration

Luke 9:28–30 NKJV

28 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. 30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah,

There was something in common that these two men had. it was prayer.

Jesus was acknowledging that their prayer life was of similar caliber as his.

These two men, were greatly used of God, both of them were taken by angels and died but their bodies was never found.

They were men who could pray.

God wants people who can pray, if you can pray he will use you mightly. He is not interested in your abilities, you elquency and aptitude, he wants to know if you can pray.

Recognising the Power of Elijah’s prayer

NOTE: you have to pray in the will of God first of all for you prayer to be effective

1 John 5:14 NKJV

14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

This man was able to lock heaven and open it up through his prayer

1 Kings 17:1–2 NKJV

1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.” 2 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,

He was praying a fervent prayer of a rightous man.

Since the power of Elijah’s prayer was not because of he was somebody special or superhuman, it was on the type of prayer he was used to praying

He was praying the effective fervent prayer of a rigthouse man.

Two things that are keys to Elijah’s powerful and effective prayer

Rigtheous man ( it was coming from a man who was rigtheous)

Fervent or earnest (the prayer was prayed earnestly)

Rigtheous Man

The way we live and conduct ourselves in the earth has an impact in the effectiveness of our prayers

Genesis 4:4–5 NKJV

4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

When our oferring comes before the Lord he does not just measure our sacrifice and this case our prayers. He also looks at our life.

1 Peter 3:8–12 NKJV

8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For “He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. 11 Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

God’s ears are over the rigtheous amd his ears open to their prayer.

1 Peter 3:7 NKJV

7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.

your conduct, if it is displeasing against God can have impact the effectiveness of your prayers

Conclusion: you have to conduct your life in rigtheousness for the sake of your prayers.

He prayed earnestly

To pray earnestly: means to pray with sincere and intense conviction, with seiousness.

Two elements to an earnest prayer

seriousness

persistance

Hosea 5:15 NKJV

15 I will return again to My place Till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”

The Lord speaks of his poeple as those who seek him earnestly in time of affliction

When you pray when you are afflicted, there is a seriousness in your prayer, and urgency. However this is not regular prayer that we tend to pray

You see just like any other habit that you are used to doing, when you pray regularly, you loose the seriouse element of your prayer. It can be come something that you just do as a ritual

1 Peter 4:7 NKJV

7 But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.

Peter tells us not just to pray, but to be serious in our prayers.

When our prayers looses its seriousness, it will loose its effectiveness

Colossians 4:2 NKJV

2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;

We may pray earnestly one time but we do not continue in it.

The persistance in our prayers

1 Kings 18:41–45 NKJV

41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 43 and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.” 44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’ ” 45 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.

Elijah was not only serious in his prayer but, he persisted until he got what he was asking.

“go again”, he prayed earnestly seven times, he would have contiunued if God had not answered him on the seventh time.

Jesus teaches his desciples how to pray.

You have to be taught how to pray, he taught them how to earnestly pray.

Luke 11:1–10 NKJV

1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” 2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.” 5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. 9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

This persistance prayer was the type of prayer that Elijah prayed.

Conclusion

Let us continue to pray earnestly, knowing the power of the fervent prayer of a righteous man.

Let us be serious in our prayers and persist until we receive what we are asking of God.