The Prayer of a Righteous Man

Praying is something that many of us Christians struggle with.  We don’t always know what words to say , and those of us who make prayer a daily part of our life, don’t always feel comfortable to pray for others.  But we need to get better at it. Prayer changes things.   Jesus prayed throughout his ministry, and he modeled for us the kind of prayer that is effective.  In almost every prayer he acknowledges the position he has before the father. He is son, and He knows that He has authority because of this relationship.  That authority  is what powers his prayers to God.  Do you know that as a believer in Christ, you have this same authority? Have you claimed this authority as you pray? If you have never approached prayer from this perspective, I encourage you to do so. You may see God work in miraculous ways. One of the best books in the Bible to help you learn about your authority in Christ, is the the book of Hebrews.  It explains the position of high priest in the Jewish faith. The High Priest was the supreme religious leader. The Hebrew people would go to him to know the will of God.  The most important role of the High Priest was his job of making the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement. Only he was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies. This was the throne room of God. He would bring the blood of the sacrificed lamb to make atonement for himself and for the people. This would pay for all their sins that were committed during the year. Hebrews 4:14 shows us that Jesus is our high priest and because of this, we have authority in Him . “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. …Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 10: “Since we have the confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus…let us draw near to God in full assurance of faith… for he who promised is faithful.” Because Jesus sacrificed himself for us, and is our atonement, we can go in confidence to the throne room of the father. Claim this position as you pray.  The enemy really doesn’t want you to realize that you do have this power.  This may be why so many of us struggle in our prayer life.  In James 5, we get this advice. “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray…..Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church (aka small group)  to pray over him and anoint  him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well…. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” We are righteous because of our authority in Jesus.  I pray that God will use this message to set your prayer life on fire.  Know the power that you really have, and don’t be afraid to kneel in prayer before the throne of God.  Today and every day you have the ability to change things in your life and in the lives of others. Go and make a difference for the Kingdom.

Be Blessed,

Jessica

Author: Jessica Cox

Jessica teaches high school English and Creative Writing at Millennium High School in Goodyear, AZ. She is married and has a daughter in first grade. She has been attending VC since 2004. View all posts by Jessica Cox