Fervent, Effectual Prayer

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16. 
 
The sincere, humble prayer of the true worshiper ascends to heaven, and Jesus mingles with our lowly petitions the holy incense of His own merit. Through His righteousness we are accepted. Christ makes our prayers wholly efficacious through the savor of His righteousness. In these days of peril we need men who will wrestle with God as did Jacob and who, like Jacob, will prevail. Thank God that the world’s Redeemer promised that if He went away He would send the Holy Spirit as His representative. Let us pray and grasp the rich promises of God, and then praise God that in proportion to our earnest, humble supplications the Holy Spirit will be appointed to meet our needs. If we seek God with all our heart we shall find Him, and obtain the fulfillment of the promise.
 
Let those who love the Lord and His truth unite by two’s and three’s to seek places of retirement and pray for God’s blessing upon the minister, who can hardly find time to pray because he is constantly engaged attending to so many requests, sitting in councils, answering inquiries, giving advice, writing important letters. Let the fervent, effectual prayer of the righteous ascend to God that the word spoken may be a message of truth to reach the hearts of the hearers, and that souls may thereby be won to Christ.
 
In order to be a Christian it is not necessary for a man to have great talents. An earnest prayer offered from a contrite heart by one who desires to do the Master’s will is of more value in God’s sight than is eloquence of speech. The human agent may have no voice in legislative councils, he may not be permitted to deliberate in senates or vote in parliaments, yet he has access to God. The King of kings bends low to listen to the prayer coming from a humble, contrite heart. God hears every prayer that is offered with the incense of faith. The weakest child of God may exert an influence in harmony with the councils of heaven.