THE PRAYER THAT SUCCEEDS (Kent Smith Notes 11/11/24)
THE PRAYER THAT SUCCEEDS
James 5:16b
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TO SEEK GOD’S ATTENTION AND ACTION
OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLES:
To open the womb
To cease His punishment on the disobedient
To see His aid against enemies.
To Intercede on behalf of others.
To gain an understanding of God’s plans
To be delivered.
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Genesis 20:17 Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maids, so that they bore children.
Genesis 25:21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord answered him and Rebekah his wife conceived.
1 Samuel 1:10 Hannah prayed to God to open her womb and give her a child.
Numbers 11:1-3 Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the Lord; and when the Lord heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. 2 The people therefore cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord and the fire [a]died out. 3 So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them.
Deut. 9: Moses recounts how he prayed for God to spare Aaron and Israel after he came down from the mountain and found the people worshiping a golden calf.
1 Chronicles 30 Hezekiah prayed for God to pardon those who ate the Passover meal without first purifying themselves.
2 Kings 6: Elisha prayed that the eyes of his servant would be opened as the Aramean army was coming against the city of Samaria. And he prayed for God’s aid over the Arameans, and God blinded the Arameans and they were captured.
2 Chron 32:2021 Hezekiah and Isaiah prayed for God’s intervention into the battle with the Assyrians And the Lord sent an angel who destroyed every mighty warrior, commander and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria.
Job 42:10 The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold.
Jer. 32:16-27 Jeremiah buys a plot of land that is about to be overtaken, and prays for understanding why God has told him to do this.
HE OBEYED FIRST…THEN prayed for understanding.
Jonah 2;1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish,
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NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES ON PRAYER
Matthew 21:22 Prayer is an exercise of faith
Luke 18:1 We must persevere in prayer
Ephesians 6:18 Pray in the Spirit for the saints
Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious, ask of God, and trust Him
Colossians 4:2 Be purposeful and consistent in prayer
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Matthew 21:22 And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
Luke 18:1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart,
Ephesians 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.
Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;
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JAMES 5:13-16a
If you are suffering - you must pray.
If you are sick - you must call for the elders to pray over you.
Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed.
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Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, [k]anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer [l]offered in faith will [m]restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, [n]they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed.
The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed [p]earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 Then he prayed again, and the [q]sky [r]poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.
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JAMES 5:16b
NASB The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
KJV The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
ESV The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
HCSB The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.
“To put forth effort / to work”
“To pray / ask / entreat”
“As one obedient to God”
“Is a force / power”
(adjective “great / large”
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“the work and effort”
“to pray”
“as one obedient to God”
“is a great force”
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JAMES 5:16b
Put in the effort and diligent work to seek God and His intervention as one who is already walking in obedience, and your prayers will be a powerful force in bringing about God’s will and action.
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Seek God – not an answer to your prayer
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APPLICATION
Prayer is NOT ABOUT getting God onto your agenda!
Prayer is about learning what is on God’s agenda.
See God - not just and “answer”
Ask, and then trust God.
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The greatest changes that happen in prayer are not the changes to your circumstances but the changes in you!
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