Prayer as Gift
The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. James 5:16 NASB
Righteous – Now we reach the critical word of James’ statement about prayer. The Greek is dikaiou. This is a word derived from the concept of justice. The man who is just (righteous) is the man who has been declared “not guilty” because Christ has transformed his life. That transformation means a change in my direction, my attitude, my purposes and my behavior. If I can’t tell the difference between the way I behaved before God said, “Not guilty” and the way I behave after He passed His verdict, then transformation has not occurred.
James tells us that the transformed man is the man who offers strong intense petitions. The transformed man knows he is broken before God. The transformed man acknowledges that his life is not under his control. The transformed man seeks God’s purposes through the channel of his own personal needs. Unless I have been transformed, prayer is still self-serving. But as soon as my life becomes devoted to God’s will, my prayers take on a power they never had before. They move me toward the place of open and unashamed dependence on my Lord.
Righteousness is the key to this kind of powerhouse prayer. But too often we think that righteousness is something we work up to; something that we have to achieve before God can use us. That isn’t true. My righteousness is nothing more than the perfect sacrifice of Christ transferred to me by God’s verdict. It has nothing to do with my good works, efforts or intentions. Righteousness is a gift given the moment I relinquish my life to Him.
When you come before God in prayer as a child declared “not guilty,” you have the same relationship that Yeshua had with the Father. Did Yeshua falter in His petitions? Did He pray and not expect answers? Never. Prayer aligned His actions with the Father’s will. We have the opportunity to do the same. That is prayer that can ask “whatever you wish and it shall be granted.”
Topical Index: prayer, dikaiou, righteous, justified, James 5:16
Amein, Skip.
Transformation is the fruit ABBA’s looking out for in our walk of obedience in all His commandments and ways.
Definitely no picking nor choosing which ones we wish to obey, or observe, but, ALL His commandments.
We’ve been so blinded to presume we can add to, or subtract from His Word, by being tricked
to believe His laws (in Hebrew being the Torah)/some commandments have been done away with, and keeping HIS Feast Days as being “Jewish” Feasts.
We have strayed from His paths, meaning missing the mark, in Hebraic perspective!
And repentance is-turning back to Him and His ways!
YHWH will hear the prayers of a righteous man, one who stays on the path. And you are, Skip!
Blessings.
Amein sister
May I add that the big trick is to continue to remember that our prayers aren’t answered because we’re so good at walking in His ways.
However when we do obey because we love Him with all our everything including our warm affections, we become a living picture of our Messiah. He is quick to affirm and display Himself in the image of Himself.
When I’m not walking in His ways I’m misrepresenting Him and He is not going to co-sign that.
I’m not sure how to connect this properly because I haven’t studied it out but this has much to do with a man who is at odds with his wife won’t see his prayers answered.
We ladies have been given the monumental task of setting aside our nitpicky selflessness and get over the fact that our men were not created for us but for God and respect him. Representing G-d is not an easy calling. I’s a nearly impossible one to carry out with a helpmate who is out to help herself. We were create to polish up that image of G-d in him and make it shine. And here’s the real kicker. Do it in a way that fosters love.
Very thought provoking Skip Thanks 🙂
Brokenness is the spring from which sweet prayer often flows. When I think about “the prayer of a righteous man,” this poem comes to mind:
Dawn and a shallow mist
Dew, again, but no rain
I hear their cries
And I feel their hunger
Just as I did
When you gave me this field
They had no one
So I pleaded with you
Let me go
Let me feed the people
You said
Don’t look back
And as your purpose seized me
I seized the plow.
I was stronger than the ground
At first
But now, now my strength is gone
Each day
The sun pulls the water
From my body
And burns it into my eyes
Each day
The rocks bruise me
Through the plow
Each day
The vision in my heart
Is overcome
By the dust in my face.
Now I cry, too
I cry for them
And I cry for me…
~Tim from Bend, Oregon
The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. (James 5:16)
Righteous- “rightly-related”- the square peg will not fit in the round hole, neither will the round peg fit in the square hole- each must be aligned properly, to be “rightly-related” in order to fit in.
When the engine of my car is tuned to perfection and all eight cylinders are “rightly-related”- doesn’t this engine purr like a cat? When my heart condemns me not, then I have peace with God. When I am in “right-relationship” with my LORD and my God, when my heart is clean before Him, and when I am ready and willing to say “Yes LORD” to all He asks, – I am rightly-related, which springs from right-relationship, which is obedient son (me) to a Loving Father, (Him).
But this is only part of being right-related, for I must also be “rightly-related” to my fellow carbon-units, my wife, my children, my neighbors. Am I living-~ loving one another with a pure heart fervently? ~ Are my motives pure? Is my heart (again) clean? Constant “tension?” Constant battle with “drama and trauma” of everyday life? Welcome to my world..- and your world too. Welcome to earth, stranger and pilgrim. We are resident aliens, – this world is not our home- we’re just passing through. This is “boot-camp” and we are being trained here. We are twice-born people, living in a once-born world,- in this world, the one we live in -right now, right here, today, we will (according to our Savior) have tribulation. It is to be expected.- He has promised, “Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
“If only.” If only we would pay attention to His words. Living according to The Book. Here are His words again, “if only” we would hearken, “if only” we would heed, “if only” we would ‘shema,’ “if only we would ‘zakar,’ “if only” we would “alethia”, but we do not. – Why not? Why do we not listen to Him or to His mother’s own words to the servants – ~whatever He says unto you,- do it ~ What did Mary know that we (apparently) do not? She knew Who He was; do we?
~ I have told you all this so that you may have peace *in Me.* Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have (already) overcome the world ~ (John 16.33)
May I? – so that *in ME*, in Christ, in THE MESSIAH, in the Anointed ONE, in the Chosen ONE, in our Savior, in the Son of God, in God the resurrected Son, in the Lion of the tribe of Judah, in our Heavenly Boaz,- we may find shalom. Where may we find peace? Where may we find comfort? Where may we find supply? Where may we find all our daily needs are met? Location, location, location! – *in Christ*.
Why do we not “pay attention” to His words? Are we distracted sheep? Or stupid sheep? Either way, we (all) desperately need a Shepherd. And “in Christ” we (now) have one.
Friends, ~ if “any man” (Jew, Gentile,Republican, Episcopalian, Plumber, Painter, Poet) – “any man,” if “any man” be *in Christ,*- he (or she) is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new ~ (2 Corinthians 5.17)
When THE MESSIAH, God the Son, died, something occurred which often goes unnoticed and doesn’t seem to get much press- maybe not enough.. The veil of the Temple was torn in two, from top to the bottom. What does this mean to you and to me- on this very day called “today?”
http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Articles/Parochet/parochet.html
We (all), because of the atoning Sacrifice of the blood of Calvary’s Lamb, may approach the very throne of Heaven. We have been given an audience, and now have His “permission” to “enter in.” God has provided access, and a Way, through the blood of the cross, for every child of God to draw near and to be become intercessors for each other.
This is His invitation. We have been invited to pray: ~ Until now you have asked nothing in My Name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full ~ (John 16.24)
I know it is a silly question, and one that has been proposed maybe thousands of other times, but why don’t we pray? What prevents us from prayer? – And transformation? You want “hope and change?” You got it brother! – It’s yours sister!- Prayer changes (transforms) the pray-er. Nothing, (nothing), nothing on the planet is as transformational as prayer. And “if” (such a big little word!) we claim to be a “follower of the Way”- a Christian, – if we belong to the Shepherd-King, – and “if” (yes, we have) we have been invited to pray, “ask and you will receive”- then why don’t we pray? ~ What shall we say to these things? ~ lol!- “Try it.. you’ll like it.” A day without prayer is like a day without sunshine.
Listen again (for the first time)- ~ and when He prayed the Heavens were opened! ~. Friends, the Son of God prayed to the Father- Why? He said, I always do those things which please the Father, and what would please our Father and our God more than for us to go to Him “via” prayer?
“Barak” in Hebrew translates in English, “God’s favor or blessing.” But, like many other words in Hebrew – it has a dual meaning. For “barak” is also “bow the knee.” Where is the “place of blessing?” Where is the place to find God’s favor? “Bow the knee.” And be blessed. This is the happy place- the place of prayer. Amein.
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Skip,
Your prayer in one of yesterday’s responses for God’s presence and the strength for you to keep
writing was obviously answered in the Spirit-inspired words you wrote today!
My prayer is for The Father to continue right on with what he’s doing through you!
Rich
Thanks Rich. Actually, my blog comments are current but Today’s Word is always written ahead of time, obviously so that it can be ready to go in case there are technological glitches. But I greatly appreciate your encouragement.