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OCTOBER 9
THE INWORKING OF PRAYER
“The effectual fervent
prayer of a righteous man
availeth much.” (James 5:16)
Interesting the two words
“effectual fervent” come
from the Greek word
“energeo” meaning “TO WORK
IN.” The Dictionary gives
the meaning of the word
“effectual” as: powerful
enough to produce. While to
be fervent is to be hot,
from a root word meaning to
boil. It all combines
together to speak of an
intense working which is
productive. Then James
connects this tremendous
energy force, dynamic in its
working, to PRAYER.
But there is one more fact
to consider, and that it is
to be an INWORKING prayer,
it is to WORK IN US, not
just be a force working for
us.
Consider: when we pray, God
already knows what we have
need of, but as we pray it
works IN US more of the plan
and purpose of God. As we
become desperate in our
prayers for HIS WILL to be
done, it bespeaks of the
ending of our own will. The
submission, the humility,
the trust we place in Him to
meet the need - all this,
and more, is worked into us
while we pray. Prayer will
work in you, until you
become prayer. The change is
IN US.
True, God lovingly and
graciously responds and
answers many of our prayers,
for a true prayer is but the
expression of the Divine
Will. This He purposes to
do, and when our prayers are
brought into harmony with
His will, the answer is
assured. But praying hasn’t
changed the mind and will or
God, it has changed us until
we are one with that will.
Beautiful!
James goes on to illustrate,
saying that “Elijah 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). Of
“like passions,” subject to
the same fears, the same
emotions, desires,
weaknesses, but as he prayed
he came into oneness with
the will and mind of God,
and thus uttered a prayer
that was an extension of
God’s will to be manifested
in the earth. What a
privilege!
Ray Prinzing |
