Dwight Fletcher | Powerful prayer requires a fervent attitude

“The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].” James 5:16b has been the focus on our current series on the Secret to Powerful Prayer. If you want to see transformation in your life and in your heart, you need powerful prayer.

There are two qualifications for prayers that avail much – that makes tremendous power available. The English word fervent simply means “impassioned, forceful, passionate, heartfelt, powerful, and wholehearted”.

When I am fervent, I am fully behind what I am doing – mind, emotion and will. It means that I am pressing in with all I am and all I have. The verse, as translated in the King James Version, seems to indicate that a passionate, wholehearted prayer will accomplish much, implying that a half-hearted prayer will not be as effective.

Effectual fervent prayer is praying like you really mean it. And there are a few elements to praying an effective fervent prayer.

The first is faith, actually believing what you are praying. In believing, you are exercising mostly your mind. This is akin to the “the prayer of faith” mentioned in verse 15. “the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well ” James 5:15 (NIV). The prayer offered in faith is a significant part of securing what is being requested. Let’s recognise that in this prayer of faith, the one who prays does not waver or doubt that God is able to perform and provide that which we are requesting.

EMOTIONAL INTENSITY

One way to keep ourselves focused in prayer is to use the word of God to pray. The effectiveness of our prayer lives will be in direct proportion to how well we know the word of God, and can appropriately apply it to our lives.

Not only are effective fervent prayers according to God’s word, but they also must include passion, an emotional intensity.

If you’re anything like me, then you may have been taught, whether directly or by practice, that emotions are not necessary for prayer; that including emotions is practising emotionalism. I wonder where that teaching originated, because it does not match the Scripture. Throughout the Bible, engaging our emotions has always been a critical part of worship and prayer. In worship, King David danced so passionately and vigorously that he ended up shedding his clothes, and God was obviously pleased.

In the New Testament, we notice that quite a few of Jesus’ miracles were activated because of His emotions. Consider Matthew 14:14 (NKJV), “And when Jesus went out, He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them and healed their sick.”

Charles Spurgeon notes that this word ‘compassion’ was a “new word form” the Gospel writers coined to describe the intensity of the emotion Jesus was feeling. So, the power of the Spirit rode on the deep emotion of compassion in the heart of Jesus. The heightened emotion was part of what created the atmosphere for healing.

And it is the same with us. Our effectual, fervent prayer is fuelled by faith in God’s word, and filled with passion or intense emotions. So, ask yourself – what do you know about the promises of Scripture that you can implement in passionate prayer to God this week? Then join us next week as we talk about the last ingredient to fervent prayer, which is persistence.