It’s unfortunate how easily we can miss the main ingredient in effective prayer.
Sometimes we focus on the steps we should take for our prayers to be heard. We have this aptitude for doing something toward believing that every outcome of our prayers is result of the method we use. If something works for somebody, we want to know what that somebody is doing. We’ve developed the assumption that if we can just figure out how to put into action what we see others do, then we’ll see great results. While this applies to certain things, it doesn’t apply to prayer — or at least that’s not the vision the apostle James gives us. The main ingredient in effective prayer is definitely not us. “…The EFFECTUAL 1FERVENT prayer of a RIGHTEOUS MAN 2AVAILS much.” (James 5:16) 1energeo: passionate, heartfelt, heated, relentless. 2ischuō: makes tremendous power available.
So when we pray passionate, heartfelt, heated, relentless prayers for AMY, BELIEVING THAT GOD HEARS US, “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You UNDERSTAND MY THOUGHT afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, YOU KNOW IT ALTOGETHER.” (Psalms 139:1-4) We can then pray a fervent (making tremendous power available) prayer…
-Bill Stockham