LEARN TO PRAY EARNESTLY;
“The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]”(James 5:16 AMP).
The earnest prayer of a righteous man produces results. Elijah was like any other human being who had feelings and affections. The Bible says he prayed that there would be no rain and the earth went without rain for three-and-a-half years. He prayed again and the heavens supplied rain.
Some good definitions for the word “earnest” are “to be intent and direct in purpose,” “to be zealous or fervent, marked by a deep feeling of conviction.” The Amplified version of the Bible goes further to explain it as “heartfelt” and “continued.” In other words, an earnest prayer is a sustained kind of prayer that is marked by a deep feeling of conviction. You don’t just pray it once and stop, you continue seriously or earnestly with a deep feeling of conviction, until you get the note of victory in your spirit.
Not very many people pray this way, but many expect to get the kind of results Elijah got. You need to learn how to pray earnestly in private so that you can have the power of the Holy Ghost working on your behalf publicly. Before Elijah proclaimed to King Ahab that there would be no rain in the land, he had already talked to the Lord (James 5:17). He prayed earnestly and continued in prayer until he got the answer.
Have you been earnest in your prayers? Don’t give up until you achieve your desired objective for praying! Learn to pray earnestly, for the earnest prayer of the righteous man always works!
Further Study:
1 Thessalonians 5:17;
Luke 18:1