The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 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 5:16-18
Despite being ordained as a minister in the Church of England, William Dodd lived a wildly profligate life. He gambled heavily and invested his money in dubious get-rich-quick schemes. When an effort to secure a lucrative pastoral position through bribery was uncovered, Dodd was dismissed. He then forged a bond in an attempt to clear his large debts but was found out, convicted, and sentenced to be hanged. Despite the efforts of friends, including noted author Samuel Johnson, Dodd was executed for his crimes. Discussing the case later with his biographer James Boswell, Johnson famously said, “Depend upon it, Sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.”
Urgency has a way of focusing our attention. Yet if we are honest, much of our praying is done casually. James describes something different: “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” He then points to Elijah, not as someone possessing unusual powers, but as “a man subject to like passions as we are.” Elijah was an ordinary man who prayed earnestly to an extraordinary God.
Fervent prayer is not an attempt to pressure God into giving us what we want. It is the earnest prayer of a heart that believes God, depends on God, and recognizes that only God can meet the need. When we pray, we should do so with faith, seriousness, and persistence, confident that God hears and answers according to His will.
Prayer is too important to become thoughtless or routine. We are coming before the throne of the Almighty God. Let us pray with clean hearts, believing faith, and earnest dependence on Him.
