James 5:16 – “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.” (NKJV)
One of the greatest disciplines that a believer can develop in his or her life is the discipline of prayer. D. L. Moody is quoted, “Next to the wonder of seeing my Savior will be, I think, the wonder that I made so little use of the power of prayer.”
Is it possible to have an effective prayer life? Can our prayers make a difference? The Word of God tells us that the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. The Scriptures teach that God hears and answers the prayers of His people.
To be effective in our prayer lives we must learn to pray the Word of God over every situation that we face. The Old Testament prophet Hosea wrote these words, “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6) The Apostle Paul encouraged Timothy to “Study the Scriptures.” (2 Timothy 2:15) Like young Timothy we must study, meditate, and memorize the Word of God.
When you are faced with a situation and don’t know how to pray then I want to encourage you to go to the Scriptures and find out what the Word of God has to say about it, and then make it a matter of prayer.
Dr. W. Terry Bailey
Posted on December 3, 2011
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