The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
James 5:16 KJV
The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working ~ or The effective prayer of a righteous person has great power. ESV
The Apostle James has written this letter to believers, having been dispersed who were now living in cultural adversities and without the support of their former home church. James writes to encourage them to remain stedfast in all things while they patiently wait for the return of the Lord. “He who endures to the end shall be saved” could be the background thought to James letter with the conclusion in chapter fives leaving us with his thoughts regarding prayer, praise and community.
An interesting note with regard to the King James Translation; the word “fervent” is not actually in the original Greek. However it does use the Greek word ~ 2480 isxýō – properly, embodied strength that "gets into the fray" (action), i.e. engaging the resistance. For the believer, 2480 (isxýō) refers to the Lord strengthening them with combative, confrontative force to achieve all He gives faith for.
Let us begin with an understanding that all prayer is conversation with our Heavenly Father. We commune; [to converse or talk together, usually with profound intensity, intimacy, etc.; interchange thoughts or feelings; to be in intimate communication or rapport:to commune with nature; interchange of ideas or sentiments].
It is through our communion with Him that we learn and grow up into Him in all things. We read our bibles in this position and attitude of communion. We read, we ask, we listen and we learn. Leaning into Him to hear as He reveals truth to us about who He is and the way He works enables us to begin to hold ‘effective’ prayers.
Our conversations (prayers) with our Heavenly Father begin by acknowledging our need to be rightly aligned with him :’Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven’. Jesus’ prayer for his disciples was for this perfect union: “that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one.”
James used the Greek word 1162 déēsis for ‘prayer’ which means: (deō, "to be in want, lack"; see the cognate 1189 /déomai, "praying for a specific, felt need") – heart-felt petition, arising out of deep personal need (sense of lack, want). [1162 (déēsis) ultimately roots back to 1211 /dḗ ("really") which likewise implies a felt need that is personal and urgent.
So we can glean that this prayer is a petition that is both personal and urgent and with strength required to meet resistance; thus, fervent prayer.
Then we have the word effective to consider. What makes our prayers effective; 1754 energéō (from 1722 /en, "engaged in," which intensifies 2041 /érgon, "work") – properly, energize, working in a situation which brings it from one stage (point) to the next, like an electrical current energizing a wire, bringing it to a shining light bulb.
What makes our prayers effective, I would say, is our position of being right before the Father. Fervent, effective prayers flow from a righteous man. A righteous man is right before God.
In all our prayers, we begin by acknowledging our personal and absolute need for God. To begin by joining with him in his purposes, one in His thoughts, purposes and ways. We want to hold the spirit of wisdom, the spirit of understanding in the knowledge of His will.
The practical application of this would simply be ~ ‘How do you (Father) see this? What do you say about this? How are you at work in this? How do I join with you in what you are doing here and now?’
We hold our desires, our needs in a place of absolute submission to His will. We assume nothing, until we know. Until we know His will, there is the place of leaning into the Holy Spirit who makes intercession for according to the will of God. He holds the mind and heart of God and prays the ‘right’ things.
We must be cautious about presumptuous prayers. James included in his letter the reason we have unanswered prayers:
And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong— you want only what will give you pleasure. James 4:3 NLT
Our right alignment with God is a key to answered prayer. We are learning. Our communion with God is a learning of Him. As we go about our daily lives we are enabled through our knowledge and understanding of Him. We can come to the place where we only do what we see our Father doing, saying only what we hear him say.
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.