“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.”
(Jeremiah 29:12, ESV)
Do you often wonder if God hears you when you pray? While on vacation last week, I had an interesting experience in prayer. I was in Pennsylvania visiting my daughter and her family. One evening we decided to go to the bookstore, which was about thirty minutes away. Since there was six of us, my wife and I took the truck and my daughter and three of the grandkids went in their car.
We had a good time at the book store and left. My wife and I went back to the hotel. It was late in the evening and I received a call from my daughter. They went to another store close to the bookstore and when they got out the car would not start. So, I drove out to where they were to see if I could get it going.
Since we had no tools, my daughter suggested that we check the Ross department store. They had jumper cables and a cheap set of pliers. I tried tightening the battery cable to no avail. Then I went to jump the battery with my truck. As I got into the car and prepared to try starting the car, I made this prayer out loud. “Lord, please let this car start so these folks can get home!” I turned the key and the car immediately started and we all got back home that evening.
However, the next morning the car would not start. We went through all the steps we did the night before and nothing worked. I purchased a multi meter, did some troubleshooting and concluded that the starter was bad. Frankly, it was a miracle that the car started that night. God answered the prayer that night, very specifically. He caused it to start so that the family would get home.
What makes prayer effective? It is made effective by a supernatural relationship with the Lord our God. This is what the Lord desired of His people. Moreover, this is the relationship that He has established with us by our trust in Jesus Christ.
James wrote that, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16)
When we look at prayer, there is a requirement of righteousness for this to work. There are two aspects of righteousness for the believer. One is that which is imputed, that is counted to us by faith. It is not that we are humanly righteous, but that God has declared us as righteous through faith. It is the same for us as it was for Abraham who, “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (James 2:23, ESV)
The second aspect of righteousness is that which is imparted to us by the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit. This to comes to us by faith, as we walk by faith and not by sight. While none of us are perfect, we are works in progress. This has to do much with the attitude of our hearts, our humble reflection on our own weaknesses, and our total dependence upon God’s mercy and grace. This is why James called people to confession as part of his prescription for healing.
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16, ESV)
Renewing the Heart 