Prayers that Avail Much

Tuesday, 29th May 2007

Flashback to the year 1990. I remember a particular day when my hostel room-mate and I were waiting outside the examination hall. We were members of the NTU Christian Fellowship ("NTUCF"), and it so happened that a member of the NTUCF's Executive Committee ("Ex-co") happened to be present, so she joined us in prayer.

[This was already the 3rd or 4th day of the examinations, and in previous days, my room-mate and I had been coming together to pray for peace, wisdom, etc. before taking the paper.]

Yet, this time it was different. After the Ex-co member prayed, we felt a sense of peace that we never felt before the previous days. My room-mate concluded that it was "the prayer of a righteous man that availeth much (James 5:16b)".

Fast forward to today, and I realise that it is not so much the person who is praying (the pray-er, but the person to whom the prayers are offered to (the pray-ee) that really matters. We as believers are the "righteousness of God in Christ" (Phil 3:9) so the prayers of every single one of us is meant to be powerful and effective.

At the WIN session tonight, I thank the Lord for yet another revelation that He brought through Pastor KL.

Usually the above verse is quoted by itself, but Pastor KL went on to cover its context in the light of verses 17-18, where James gives an example of what a powerful and effective prayer is.

James 5:17-18
17Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
18Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

Elijah's prayers were indeed powerful and effective. There was drought in the land for three and a half years!

But what was the most reassuring was the phrase "Elijah was a man just like us". Being human, he also had his low moments. He ran away when he heard that Jezebel wanted to kill him (1 Kgs 19:2-3). He was so discouraged that he even asked the Lord to take away his life! (1 Kgs 19:4)

Yet he was considered a righteous man whose prayer avails much.

And he was a human, just like us.

So our prayers can likewise avail much. Amen?