Hearing the doctor’s words,“Your wife has ovarian cancer,” really increased my commitment to prayer! My prayers for Norma became more frequent and more intense each day. I am believing the truth found in James 5:16 “…pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
Since I have seen God miraculously heal many people when I prayed, I expected the same healing results for Norma. Over the past few months He has answered many prayers for her well-being. However, miraculous, direct, supernatural healing has not yet occurred. Not surprisingly, this causes me to ask many questions. Why are the answers to my prayers so varied? Why isn’t she healed? How can my prayers be more effective?
Here is some of what the Lord said to me about effective prayer (His words are in blue).
“What makes one day’s prayers more effective than another? What makes one person’s prayers seem to be more effective than others? These are questions that you are seeing the answers to by your experience.”
The character of fervent prayers
During this urgent time of praying for Norma’s health the Lord is teaching me how to pray fervently according to James 5:16.
“The fervent prayers of a righteous man avail much. This simple verse carries the weight of ages of successful prayers. Fervent prayers are those that have urgency coupled with action.
We can often feel the urgency of the prayer need, but it is how this urgency is expressed that is important.
This is not a programmatic approach to prayer, but an attitude of prayer. The action, the actual prayer, is coupled with the heart of the person praying.”
The Lord encouraged me to pray very specifically as she was recovering from the major surgery she had in April:
“Last night you were specific. You prayed for healing of the incisions, reestablishment of vascularization, removal of infection and inflammation. You prayed for the pain to lessen as the nerves re-innervated and regenerated. You prayed for the fluid buildup to reverse – all specific prayers. This is good. However there is more–prayers alone are but words. “
This is praying with experiential heart faith. It is knowing and expecting, knowing that I hear, and expecting Me to act.”
Understanding and applying these concepts is foundational to growing our faith and enhancing the effectiveness of our prayers.
Heart-based faith comes from experience, not just intellectual understanding. This was one of the lessons I learned in my own healing journey. When I personally experienced the Lord’s answers to my needs, my faith moved from my head (mind-faith) to my heart (heart-faith). My faith and trust in God increased because I saw His wonderful works. I know that He is present and answers my prayers, and that He is always with me and cares for me. Truly, seeing is believing! My faith grew and became more real and tangible — this is the heart-based faith that can move mountains.
God sums up how fervent prayer avails much
“Fervent, focused, directed prayers from a believing and expectant heart are powerful and accomplish much.“
I encourage you to look for God’s marvelous works in your life, for His answered prayers. Write them down, share testimonies and review them often. Your heart-based faith will grow and your prayers will be more effective — they will avail much!
Please share your comments; I would love to hear your thoughts and prayer experiences.
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