40 Days of Promise | Day 5
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days of Promise
Day 5 | Praying for Results | James 5:16
40 Days of Promise
Day 5 | Praying for Results | James 5:16
Praying for Results
James 5:16
“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”
Ask people if they pray and the vast majority will answer “yes.” People “believe” in prayer and yet, if you ask “Why?” or “For what?” many will give a blank stare.
Many – even Christians – don’t realize the importance and power that’s available through prayer.
And many Christians admit – when surveyed anonymously – that they’ve never had any answers to prayer.
So, what’s the disconnect? Why do we “believe in prayer,” and yet not see much happen? Or a better question… What’s the KEY to power and results in prayer?
Perhaps another translation of James 5:16 will help:
“The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.” (MSG)
We tend to skim over the “righteous person” (or “person living right with God”) part of the verse and focus on “earnest” and getting “wonderful results.”
You see, most PROMISES in God’s Word are conditional… God will do XYZ when we do ABC.
I remember the first time when our teacher in Sunday School told us that “God is not a vending machine.” That made sense to us 5th graders, but also was a bit disappointing. Later, as I grew up, got married, and we started having children; I understood more deeply.
Children often – because they are children – ask for things that are not appropriate or good for them. And we often do the same with God. BUT, as we mature in the LORD, and live more and more as Jesus did, it opens doors to God in prayer where we CAN start seeing “wonderful results.”
PRAYER: Lord, help me to mature in You. Help me to become more like Jesus and then to be able to pray with confidence and power. For your glory, Amen.
James 5:16
“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”
Ask people if they pray and the vast majority will answer “yes.” People “believe” in prayer and yet, if you ask “Why?” or “For what?” many will give a blank stare.
Many – even Christians – don’t realize the importance and power that’s available through prayer.
And many Christians admit – when surveyed anonymously – that they’ve never had any answers to prayer.
So, what’s the disconnect? Why do we “believe in prayer,” and yet not see much happen? Or a better question… What’s the KEY to power and results in prayer?
Perhaps another translation of James 5:16 will help:
“The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.” (MSG)
We tend to skim over the “righteous person” (or “person living right with God”) part of the verse and focus on “earnest” and getting “wonderful results.”
You see, most PROMISES in God’s Word are conditional… God will do XYZ when we do ABC.
I remember the first time when our teacher in Sunday School told us that “God is not a vending machine.” That made sense to us 5th graders, but also was a bit disappointing. Later, as I grew up, got married, and we started having children; I understood more deeply.
Children often – because they are children – ask for things that are not appropriate or good for them. And we often do the same with God. BUT, as we mature in the LORD, and live more and more as Jesus did, it opens doors to God in prayer where we CAN start seeing “wonderful results.”
PRAYER: Lord, help me to mature in You. Help me to become more like Jesus and then to be able to pray with confidence and power. For your glory, Amen.