Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed.  [James 5:16-18]

The effectual prayer of a righteous one accomplishes much.

In order to attempt to better understand the second half of this first verse, let's take the opposite of what’s being said – The ineffective prayer of an unrighteous person is able to

accomplish…very little.

This word effectual, can also be translated as effective. It’s the Greek word we get our word

‘energy’ from. It literally means – to enable or empower. James is enlightening us how a prayer that has been activated and empowered is quite effective in accomplishing its actual purpose. But the question we must ask is – Who does the activating and empowering? And what is the ultimate purpose in doing so? The answer to the first question is obvious. Only God can activate and empower a prayer. It’s been said that prayer is a powerful thing. But is this statement alone a true statement? Is it prayer that is powerful, or is the One to whom we pray the ultimate source of power? The overall answer to these questions is – God is the ultimate power source! And when our hearts are right with and before God, then we will pray what and how The Spirit of God wants us to pray. And as a result, God will answer that prayer in His way…and in His time.

In providing support for this statement on prayer, James uses Elijah as an example. In vs 17, he explains how Elijah was human like the rest of us. And he earnestly prayed for it not to rain. Why did he pray this? Because as 1 Kings 17-18 illustrates, The Spirit of God led him to pray that prayer. And for 3 ½ years it did not rain in that particular territory where he lived. In vs 18, we are told that Elijah prayed again…and this time he prayed for it to rain. God then opened up the heavens and it rained and the earth once again produced fruit. During this whole time (3 ½ years), God’s Spirit was leading Elijah not only what to pray but also how and when to pray.

Why did James choose to use this particular incident in the life of Elijah as his example on

‘effective praying’? If James’ whole point was how to pray for physical healing, then why not

share how Elijah was empowered by God to raise a widow’s deceased son to life? Or if James

whole point was how to pray for God to do something miraculous then why not share the story of how Elijah called down lightning from heaven to ignite that waterlogged altar he had built? Now, that’s effective praying! There is no limit to what our Great God can do? Yet, are not the most effective prayers more for our spiritual needs than for our physical or material ones? God has a big picture in mind. And His big picture for each us is the development of our faith.

 Perhaps you have become spiritually dry and thirsty (like the land where Elijah dwelt those 3 ½ years). As a result, you feel so weak that your faith now seems ineffective. What you now need is a righteous brother or sister who has been activated by The Spirit of God to pray a prayer that God Himself has energized – a prayer that will provoke God to move…to transform and restore! This is James’ overall point – earnest, effectual, energized prayer is so effective that it can move the very heart of God to act(ivate)! It is strong enough to strengthen the weary…to anoint the afflicted…and to empower the broken-down and brokenhearted.

James’ focus is more on the one who is praying than it is on the one who is being prayed for.

When a righteous heart prays the right way, God’s Spirit can and will accomplish much. This is yet another reason why we are to allow The Spirit of God to develop our faith each day. It is so that we are better equipped to intercede for those who are spiritually weak.

While our own words may inspire, they cannot reactivate and restore anyone’s spiritual health

and vitality. Only God’s Word, in tune with His Spirit, can. In order to be spiritually effective in

what we say to and pray for others, we must allow God’s Word and Spirit to be the Authority in

and over our lives. How do we do this? We daily endeavor to do what His Word says and to

pray according to His way of praying. That way God can enable and empower the prayers that

we pray to accomplish much…for those to whom we have been called to pray.