Prayer Guide: Day 1

“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16 NIV

All of us want our prayers to be heard and for them to come to pass. I have never met a Christian who didn’t want the Lord to move on their behalf. This verse states that the prayer of a righteous man or woman is powerful and effective. That means that when the righteous pray it should produce results. Now you might be thinking “well I’m not righteous I make plenty of mistakes, so this verse isn’t for me.” However, righteousness is not earned by your good works, what you do or don’t do, but comes through faith in Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished through the finished work of the cross. If you are in Christ (a born-again believer) Jesus made you righteous. That means you have right standing with God because of what Jesus has done for you. You can stand before the father without a sense of guilt or shame because Jesus’ blood has washed you and made you righteous. “It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30 NIV). On the cross, Jesus took our sin upon Himself in order to give us His righteousness by faith. “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21 NIV). If you are reading this and you are a born-again believer, you are the righteousness of God through Christ. That means your prayers are powerful and effective to produce results. That’s amazing news!

When the righteous will humble themselves and pray, things begin to happen. The prayers of the righteous have the power to move mountains (Mark 11:23). The prayers of the righteous have the power to bring forth the will of God (Matt. 6:10). The prayers of the righteous have the power to receive good gifts from the Father (Matt.7:11). The prayers of the righteous have the power to bring healing to the sick (James 5:14-16). The prayers of the righteous have the power to work miracles (James 5:17-18). The prayers of the righteous have the power to bring forth boldness to be effective in ministry by the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:24-31). The prayers of the righteous have the power in them to become victorious over temptation and sin (Matt. 6:13, Matt. 26:41). The prayers of the righteous have the power to receive from God so that their joy may be full (John 16:24). The prayers of the righteous have the power to build themselves up on their most holy faith (Jude 20), etc. Imagine the results, miracles, people saved, and lives impacted If the righteous would stop and begin to pray.

Personal Prayer Focus

As you begin to pray, start taking your position in Christ as a righteous son or daughter. Because of Jesus, you are the righteousness of God in Him. That means you can come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in your time of need (Heb. 4:16). So come to him in fervent prayer and know that your time praying isn’t wasted or for nothing. Psalms 34:15 says, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.” Since you have right standing with God through Jesus, your prayers are powerful, and they are effective.

West Ridge Church Prayer Focus

Pray for God’s grace, wisdom, and blessing over our pastors, elders, and staff as they continue leading people to become fully devoted followers of Jesus.