"The Posture of James"- Establishing a PrayerFULL Life

“The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much!” - James 5:16

This powerful verse was penned by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, through the hands of a man who had devoted himself to a LIFE of relentless Prayer!  It is recorded that James prayed SO devoutly and for so long that over the years his knees developed patches of callous as tough as the knees of a camel!  Tradition tells us that the brother of Jesus and leader of the early church was known as “Old Camel Knees.”  James teaches at the end of James 5 that if anyone is suffering, they should pray.  If anyone is sick, there should be prayer, if any are burdened by sin, we should pray for each other.  You see, this wasn’t just a teaching for James, this was LIFE!  He lived this out to the fullest and when he wrote about the power of prayer, he was speaking from experience!

I want to share with you that I was overcome with tears as I spent time thinking about the life of “James, the Just,” the brother of Jesus.  I was pondering just how many many long hours he joyfully spent in prayer, and I found myself asking the Lord that He might continue to plant within me even a portion of that same desire, action, passion, and way of life!  I desire for my body and spirit to also bear the marks of a life of unceasing prayer!

I know that sometimes life seems to be too crazy or busy for us to stop and pray, and often we treat prayer as a last resort, an action to take when all else fails, but I am here to proclaim that it is to be our First Response, and our Constant Action!  Just as faith without works is dead, a life without prayer is powerless!!  We are to prayer in suffering, or in joy, in weakness, or in strength, in sickness, or in health, in failure, or in success.  Prayer is our vital, ongoing connection to our Father, who delights to give us wisdom, grace, comfort, direction, correction, forgiveness, love, and peace!  Our God moves through the power of prayer, and I can stand as a witness that I have personally seen lives saved, bodies healed, marriages restored, provision given, protection granted, forgiveness received, prisoners set free, chains broken, revivals break out, and the body of Christ strengthened and equipped through the Power of Prayer!  Now, there may be times that God does not choose to change your situation when you pray, but I can promise you, He will Always Change YOU when you pray!  

I want to encourage us to ask ourselves a couple of questions this week.

Is prayer our first response, or our last resort?

How is God asking us to cultivate “camel knees” in our relationship with Him?  Is there a time during our day that we can set aside to devote to prayer?  

Lord, make us men and women devoted to prayer!  May our lives bear the marks of a life of unceasing prayer and we may see the Power of prayer evidenced around us and in us!  In your name, Jesus, Amen!