My Friends, we have so much to be thankful for in our everyday lives. That being the case, I wonder how many of us take that to the Lord. I know there have been people that would thank me for something, and it was usually, “Hey man, thanks.” And it left me with a feeling like I had done next to nothing for them… Sad, right? How many of us do the exact same thing with the Lord?
James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
This is a verse from the Holy Word of God. Let’s take a short look at it. It says, “Confess your Faults to one another.” How about that word “Faults”? Got any ideas on this? “Faults” is a Greek word for a “*trespass, offence, sin, fall.” And then it says, “Pray for one another, that ye may be healed.” To talk to one another about our Failures, essentially our Sin, and then ask to be “Healed.” That sounds pretty profound to me; how about you? How many of us would be willing to “Confess our Sins to one another”… Few, I am sure. Much less, to think we would need to be Healed. All of a sudden, this passage of Scripture takes on a whole new aspect; am I correct?
Then we have, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” This is another Greek word that means “*to be operative, be at work, put forth power, to work for one, aid one, to effect, to display one’s activity, show one’s self operative.” It makes me wonder, how this sort of praying is to be done. Evidently, the normal people are not using this as a guide for Prayer. It strikes me as being a “Groaning” in our hearts. What do you think?
The “Effectual Fervent” – could this mean to groan in our Prayers…deeply?! That maybe we need to Pray as the Lord did in the Garden? Jesus Prayed so earnestly, HE was sweating Blood! Are we even capable of doing the same? Would any of us be willing to PRAY for someone else that deeply?!
Now let’s take a look at “prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Of a “Righteous man” sounds pretty specific to me. In the Greek, it means “*righteous, observing divine laws, in a wide sense, upright, righteous, virtuous, keeping the commands of God.” I wonder how many of us could be able to say, this is me?! Be careful now! Let’s not think too highly of ourselves…right?! Just how Righteous are we as Individuals? It makes me think that this a pretty high standard; am I correct? What are your thoughts on this, my Friends?
Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
“God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.” I see this is how God speaks, that in many instances God as the Holy Spirit… “Groans” in our intersession. So should we not GROAN in our Prayers as the Lord God does for us?! This is a Greek word for “*a groaning, a sigh.” Have we missed the point when we Pray?
Luke 18:10-14 “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself: God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I possess.
“And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
Does this Passage of Scripture exemplify what “Groaning” really is? The Publican “Beating on his Chest?” A Jewish Sign that says “I am abased,” a sign for Humility on the part of the one Praying, concerns one showing they are a Sinner. Wow! There’s that word again, “SIN.” Could it be that we do not take SIN to be as important a subject matter as the Bible says it is?!
So many times, I have seen and heard someone pray, their hands lightly folded on their Lap, head tilted to one side; and then we hear, “Oh Father, we JUST come to you….” What’s with this word JUST that so many use? We don’t speak normally and use that word JUST, as we do when one prays. As with the Publican, we should be on our knees, beating our chest because we are Sinners and begging for Forgiveness of our SIN…before a completely RIGHTEOUS God. Am I not correct? In other words, we should be “Groaning” our petition for Forgiveness before The Lord God.
We do not understand that our SIN…stands between the Lord God and You and me! SIN is a most grievous concern in each of us; it is the one thing that dooms anyone to Hell if it is not dealt with. In other words, if God will not tolerate SIN, then neither should we because the Blood of Jesus Christ is the only way to be Forgiven! This is the Most serious concern for us in this Life!
Let me ask you this: how often do you or I…SIN each and every day? Can’t give us a number? Neither could I! Why do you think the Holy Spirit…GROANS for us?! Sin is the most horrendous condition to find ourselves in! Thankfully, we have the Lord to go before and beg HIS forgiveness; am I correct?!
The problem is, I do not believe that we take SIN as seriously as we should. How many sermons in church are teaching about SIN and its effects?! My Friends, the entire world is going to “Hell in a Hand-Basket”…because of SIN. My Friends, that is our SIN. If the Lord God will NOT tolerate SIN in HIS Presence, then HE will NOT tolerate you and me in HIS Presence with our unforgiven SIN. So when we go back to the question of, how much do we SIN each day, we should see this as a most serious situation for you and me.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.” Wow!… Short and sweet…right? And now people wonder, what should I be Praying for? Forgiveness of our SIN…ya think?! Because we SIN so often, we need to be Praying…Groaning…Often! Does that make any sense to you?
“My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ… I come before you in All Humility… (Beating your chest) … and I ask you to forgive me of my SIN… (Then you elaborate)… Father Forgive me! In Jesus name I Pray.” This is a most serious Petition! And each and every Prayer should be FERVENT…A GROANING…to the Lord God!
John 9:31 “Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.”
Is that serious enough…or not, my Friends? Sin is a very serious subject with the Lord God, and it should be the same with you and me!
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
All Passages of Scripture come from the King James Version of the Bible.
All Emphasis is mine.
(*) Strong’s Concordance