Command 35 : Be a House of Prayer | Day 243

Make Your Prayers Effective!

For more than 60 years Darlene had suffered from intense, chronic pain. Doctors were baffled, and pain medications provided only temporary relief. At the age of 26, she attempted to end her life because she was so weary of the daily pain; however, God intervened and spared her life. After this, Darlene prayed that she would be healed, but she continued to experience pain until the day she understood an important aspect of prayer.

Often our prayers are lacking in the faith, fervency, or diligent seeking that pleases God and compels Him to act powerfully on our behalf. (See Hebrews 11:6.)

For many years, I felt that my prayer life was inadequate, especially when I would read the biographies of great Christians who spent hours in prayer. Then several years ago, I followed the disciples' example and asked "Lord teach me to pray."

My thoughts were directed toward the life of Elijah who had influence with God. James tells us that “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit” (James 5:17-18). As I read this passage, the word *earnestly* stood out to me with significance. Elijah's prayer was marked by intensity, fervency, and a seriousness that caused God to respond. In fact, the "fervency factor" of prayer was emphasized by James in his introduction to this account of Elijah. “...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16).

Many times our prayers are lacking in the kind of fervency that God requires for effective results. However, when we sincerely cry out to God we acknowledge that He has the power and resources that are required for whatever need we have or whatever trouble we are in. Crying out to God¹ is effective because it manifests several heart attitudes that God honors:

• Genuine humility: "This is too big for me; I need Your help."
• Unconditional surrender: "I will confess all secret sins and do Your will."
• A plea for mercy: "I am not worthy to receive the power of Your grace."
• Personal helplessness: "I am weak and unable to help myself."
• Faith in God: "You are the only One Who has the power and resources to help me!"
• Desperation: "I need help right now, or I am without hope!"

"He who prays without fervency does not pray at all."--Charles Spurgeon

When Darlene recognized the importance of fervency in prayer, she asked a group of believers to join her in crying out to God for her healing. God saw fit to respond to the expectant faith of this group and she was healed!

Crying out to God is not a formula to get what we want; it is an outflow of a love relationship with the Lord. Can you think of a time when you were just "saying words" with no intensity or earnest longing? Let's ask the Lord to teach us to pray in faith with fervency.

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1. Learn more about fervent prayer in the book, The Power of Crying Out.