Faith Fuels Prayer
The Epistle of James was written around A.D. 46, but it could have been written yesterday because it is so relevant.
James wrote to believers of his time because they were about to give in to impatience, bitterness, materialism, disunity and spiritual apathy. James’ writing is a practical guide to challenge believers to examine their daily lives in terms of faith and action. Faith and action (works) are tied so closely together it is as if the words are bound together. Believers are clearly shown that faith without works is not faith. In other words, faith without works is a dead faith. Faith at work produces visible outcomes.
Christian faith is the belief in God’s Word, and as such it will produce real changes in a person’s character which, in turn, will bring about change in a person’s actions. The lesson found in James offers practical ideas and examples of faith and prayer at work. It highlights faith as being the fuel that operates an effective prayer life. It reminds me of the poem about “God’s Grocery Store.” But you must get into the store first, and faith-driven prayer is the key to unlocking the door to the store.
There are conditions that will hinder the work of the faithful. Take, for instance, bitterness; bitterness is an additive to the cleansing water of peace. Every day, you drink a little bitter water until all you can think about is who hurt you and how that moment made you feel. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:31-32, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
Letting go of bitterness is not letting go of the need for justice. God is just. It is God’s character to be just (read Isaiah 61:8). Bitterness and justice are two different concepts. Bitterness is not, as I often say, a DIY project. You do not wake up one morning and decide that the bitterness will cease. You wake up one morning and say, “God, I surrender this bitterness to you because you are Sovereign. You are Holy and I cannot get rid of this bitterness. I want to follow you, and this burden hinders my relationship with you. This bitterness keeps me from fully operating in the gifts you have given me. I surrender to you. Lord, remove this burden. In the name of Jesus.”
The other hinderance of effective prayer is disunity. If you read 2 Corinthians 5:17-20, we find that once we enter into a relationship with Christ, we are no longer the same. We are new creatures in that our thinking becomes reconciled unto the way that Christ has outlined in his holy instructions. We desire to do those things that please Christ and not those things which are pleasing to the world. We become ambassadors for Christ. We represent Christ and model our behavior in accordance with His righteousness.
As we prepare fertile soil to grow faith, we can then learn to pray more effectively. I ask you, what is an effective prayer? I know that there may be a number of answers, but let us go directly to the heart of the matter. An effective prayer is a prayer that is acceptable to God. Many times, we have not because we do not ask, and sometimes we ask things that do not line up with the Word of God.
Again, what does effective prayer look like? It is prayer first of all fueled by faith. If God said it, I believe it. It is a prayer from a clean heart. Psalm 66:8 states, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear my prayer.”
Lastly, an effective prayer is fervent. A fervent prayer is the pouring out from the inner thoughts and feelings of the one who is praying to God. Nothing is held back, and again we are back at the beginning. The prayer is “pouring out in faith.”
St. James AME Church is located at 360 Dorothy St. in Charleston and worship service is held on the first and third Sundays of each month at 11 a.m. You may also join us on Zoom, pastorv.com.
