Prayer of the Righteous

James 5:13-17 – Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 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. 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. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

This entry is to highlight a highly used verse concerning prayer. James 5:16 will be addressed, but verses 13-17 were provided for context.

Many of us have heard this verse quoted many different ways. Somehow after listening to it or reading it, many people will seek to pray longer and harder without any thought of their lifestyle before God. It’s as if they read the verse like this:

Fervent prayer availeth much.

What about being righteous?

James said that the fervent prayer of a RIGHTEOUS man availeth much. Righteous.

So, what does it mean to be righteous? The translated Greek word for righteous is dikaios¹ and is defined as:

1. righteous, observing divine laws; in a wide sense, upright, righteous, virtuous, keeping the commands of God; of those who seem to themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves in their virtues, whether real or imagined

2. innocent, faultless, guiltless

3. used of him whose way of thinking, feeling, and acting is wholly conformed to the will of God; only Christ truly

4. approved of or acceptable of God; in a narrower sense, rendering to each his due and that in a judicial sense, passing just judgment others, whether expressed in words or shown by the manner of dealing with them

Examine yourself in light of God’s Word and continually bring yourself under His Lordship in obedience and holiness (1 Corinthians 13:5). May you have a great desire to live righteously in His presence.

Hebrews 12:14-15 – Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled

Then…be fervent in prayer, for your prayers will avail much.

^{Blue Letter Bible. “Dictionary and Word Search for dikaios (Strong’s 1342)”. Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2011. 7 Feb 2011. http:// www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm? Strongs=G1342&t=KJV}