21/06/2022
DAILY TEA
TOPIC: Ingredients of an Effectual Fervent Prayer
James 5:16-18
[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.
[17]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.
[18]And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
You know many a time when we read the above text , we do not seem to get the full gist of what characterise an effectual fervent prayer until we read the story in 1king.
Let's see it
1 Kings 18:42-45
[42]So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,
[43]And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
[44]And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.
[45]And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
First off, Verse 42 talks about his posture in prayer . that posture depicts heartfelt as amplified version puts it. He prayed from his heart. His heart was involved not just his lips! And there was no distraction whatsoever! That means in this kind of prayer described in James, our heart must be fully involved and with undivided attention.It is praying with your heart and of course with your mouth too!
Is it possible to pray and your heart is not involved in the praying ? Yes ! Hear what Jesus had to say!
See comment section for more..