For our fourth and final week in our series Plugged into Prayer, we are going to look at what James says about prayer. In our text, James says that pretty much every situation is an opportunity to pray. Are you in trouble? Are you happy? Are you sick? Are you in need of getting right with God? The answer, James says, is always to pray — to go to God, to talk with God, to relay your heart and your needs — as well as the needs of others — to God through this incredible gift we call prayer.
But sometimes, our prayers don’t always feel that effective. Sometimes that is simply because we don’t see God answer right away or in the way we want. But other times the problem may be that we don’t pray effectively. James says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” One of the ways our prayers become more effective is by us growing into our spiritual authority — the righteous position God has given us with him through Christ. As Rob Reimer states, “Spiritual authority is rooted in identity, expanded in intimacy, and activated by faith.” Let’s look at these ingredients to a more powerful prayer life.