The “employed” prayer of a righteous man is “powerful.” – James 5:17
One of the most incredible ways we partner with God is through prayer. Revelations 3:7 says Jesus is the one “who holds the keys of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” Are you trying to crash through doors without talking to the one holding the keys? The hearts of humans don’t open through sound arguments and good deeds. Rationalism and compassion may be essential attributes of our faith and gospel. They may tenderize the soil, but they are not what finally open the eyes of human hearts. Only the key master who knows the secret language of the soulcan open hearts that have been “blinded by the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4). The Holy Spirit opens spiritual doors.
Are we trying to fulfill God’s mission in our human strength? Prayer forces us to stay connected to God and partner with him in fulfilling his gospel mission to “seek and save the lost.” James reminds us that our prayers are powerful when they are being employed by God to do God’s work. In other words, the Holy Spirit gives us the prayers to pray and then fulfills the prayers he gives us. God is training us to strategically pray in partnership with him: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans…the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (Romans 8:26). Don’t miss the obvious: prayer forces us to accomplish God’s plans in God’s ways. It is a realignment of our schedules, priorities, and strategies.
“God does nothing but in answer to prayer,” the famous revivalist John Wesley observed. The Church is Christ’s body, his embassy on earth, and his Bride and spiritual birth canal. Is our prayer womb empty and lifeless? If we aren’t praying, we aren’t abiding in Christ’s vine and ministering in Christ’s life. Prayerlessness is lifelessness. Jesus reminds us, “If two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” In this verse, we see that it’s our Father in heaven who does the work. So let us give ourselves to partnering with the Spirit of God in earnest prayer.
Tags: prayer, holy spirit, authority, keys, god's will, blind, intercession, partnering, agree
