For years, I have grown into a relationship with God, where, though I may pray for five or ten minutes at a time, I stay in constant communication with Him. If I'm awake, I'm in conversation and fellowship with Him, regardless of what is going on around me. It is the only way I can survive even the best of days.
However, over the past few months, I have given great attention to my prayer life, and this one verse from the Book of James has brought me to a different place, a better place, in my prayer life. There was a moment at the beginning of this revelation where, in honesty, I asked myself about the seriousness of my prayer time, and I asked myself about effectual and fervent praying and whether or not this was what I was doing .....
By definition:
ef·fec·tual (e fek′c̸ho̵̅o̅ əl, i-; often ē-, ə-)adj.
- producing, or able to produce, the desired effect
- having legal force; valid
v
nt)adj. 1. Having or showing great emotion or zeal; ardent.
2. Extremely hot; glowing.
Was I fervent? Without doubt ... yet I found myself seriously lacking in the effectualness of my prayers. So, I wondered ... when I was praying, did I seriously expect to hear answer from God, or was I just throwing up a lifeline in case He happened to be listening to me that day? The Bible tells us that all of the answers in Him are Yes and Amen. (2 Corinthians 1:19-21) So, I wondered why so many of my prayers have seemed to go no higher than the ceiling, and I spoke with God in detail and at length about this. Asking why is there such delay in the desired effects on many of my prayers.
When Jesus prayed, God answered immediately, and that answer was manifest for others to see. My question, then became, if it is the same Spirit on the inside of me that was in Christ (and I believe it is John 14:16-20) then why were there so few manifestations? There is no logical explanation. So, looking again at these two words that have become the focal points of my prayer life, I asked myself did I really believe to hear from God? Noting that both words are adjectives ..... describing the type of prayer that we are to send to our Heavenly Father ... I also believe that these two words should also describe the one praying. Effectual and fervent ... full of passion and glowing hot, and so becomes my resolve. To pray any other way seems to me a waste of my time, and, I don't play when I speak with God. To send up a flippant, half hearted prayer seems to me to be a waste of His time. Through it all, the only conclusion I have been able to come to is ...
Not only do I believe to hear from Him ... I sit in earnest expectation.
Much love and prayers,
Kalena in Fervency
Was I fervent? Without doubt ... yet I found myself seriously lacking in the effectualness of my prayers. So, I wondered ... when I was praying, did I seriously expect to hear answer from God, or was I just throwing up a lifeline in case He happened to be listening to me that day? The Bible tells us that all of the answers in Him are Yes and Amen. (2 Corinthians 1:19-21) So, I wondered why so many of my prayers have seemed to go no higher than the ceiling, and I spoke with God in detail and at length about this. Asking why is there such delay in the desired effects on many of my prayers.
When Jesus prayed, God answered immediately, and that answer was manifest for others to see. My question, then became, if it is the same Spirit on the inside of me that was in Christ (and I believe it is John 14:16-20) then why were there so few manifestations? There is no logical explanation. So, looking again at these two words that have become the focal points of my prayer life, I asked myself did I really believe to hear from God? Noting that both words are adjectives ..... describing the type of prayer that we are to send to our Heavenly Father ... I also believe that these two words should also describe the one praying. Effectual and fervent ... full of passion and glowing hot, and so becomes my resolve. To pray any other way seems to me a waste of my time, and, I don't play when I speak with God. To send up a flippant, half hearted prayer seems to me to be a waste of His time. Through it all, the only conclusion I have been able to come to is ...
Not only do I believe to hear from Him ... I sit in earnest expectation.
Much love and prayers,
Kalena in Fervency
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