Sometimes I find myself going back to my roots. For example, my favorite translation of James 5:16b is the King James Version.
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
The wording in this version is so powerful and offers such encouragement for prayer. Look with me briefly.
“Effectual” means to make something happen. This implies “work.” It’s curious, by the way, to note that the word “effectual” comes from the Greek word meaning “work,” and don’t we want our prayers to work?
Continuing our brief look, we might note that some Bible translations use the word “earnest” in place of “fervent.” Either way, what’s being talked about here is diligence. This is telling us that we are to be intentional, constant, and persistent in prayer.
Let’s look at one more word from James 5:16b as we consider power and encouragement in prayer. “Availeth.” Do you hear the echo? “Effectual?” “Availeth?” With this word comes the idea of bringing something about or producing results.
How encouraging – to know that our prayers are powerful in action and that the work of prayer produces results!
While James 5:16b is powerful encouragement, it doesn’t stand alone. If you could use some encouragement in prayer today, spend some time with the following Scripture passages.
Scriptures to Encourage Grandparents in Prayer
1 PETER 5:6-7 (HE CARES)
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:6–7
We worry. We fret. It’s in our nature. And now that we are grandparents, isn’t there even more to worry and fret about? Things such as peer pressure, friendships, cultural influence, drugs, pornography, cars on the highway, and school violence just to name a few, grip our hearts. But here’s the thing. All that worry. All that fret. Cannot begin to change even one little thing (Matthew 6:27)!
This passage in 1 Peter, therefore, offers such peace. Here we are told to “Cast all [our] anxieties on Him.” In other words, give it all to God. Abandon the outcomes to Him because He, in fact, is the only One with the power to change anything.
Accepting that the wherewithal to bring about change does not lie within us, we entrust our grandchildren and our concerns for them to our faithful Father – “because He cares for [us].”
PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7 (HE OFFERS PEACE)
Do not be anxious about anything, 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 understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6–7
Right there it is, in black and white. “Do not be anxious.”Why, then, is it so difficult for us to live this? Especially when it comes to our children and grandchildren?
In this passage, Paul echoes the teaching of Jesus’ from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:25-34). In both passages, we see that believers in Christ are not to be overcome with anxiety but are instead to trust their heavenly Father, whose peace will guard them. Just picture it! The peace of God Almighty “guards” us. The Lord Our God is sovereign over all. He is in control, and we can trust Him with all our worries and hurts.
HEBREWS 4:16 (HE BESTOWS MERCY & GRACE)
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16
The phrase “draw near” appears several times in the book of Hebrews and is used consistently to picture a person approaching God. For believers in Christ, this encouragement implies that we have the privilege of a personal relationship with the God of the universe.
But there’s even more than that great news! Not only are we encouraged to draw near, but we are told to do so with “confidence.” In the Greek, this word means with boldness or courage especially with reference to speaking before someone of great rank or power.
Isn’t it comforting to know you may come before God (with proper reverence, of course) and speak the things on your heart concerning your grandchildren plainly and honestly, without fear? And isn’t it reassuring to know that when you do, you will “receive mercy” and “find grace to help” whatever the need?
PSALM 62:8 (HE IS OUR REFUGE)
Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.
Psalm 62:8
Most of us have no problem sharing our hurts and confusion and complaints with others. But have you ever struggled to “pour out your heart before {God]?” Ever been one to give Him the silent treatment?
In 2 Corinthians 12, we read of the apostle Paul’s own experience of praying during a protracted period of pain. Here he writes to the Corinthians about facing the terrible possibility that the Lord might not remove the thorn he was living with (2 Corinthians 12:8).
Let’s be reminded that Paul’s struggle was included in the Scripture for us. Far from something trivial and sanitary. It was gritty and real. And it shows us that we can absolutely take our mess to the Lord in prayer. As we mediate on Paul’s prayer experience, we see the hope in taking our pain and confusion and complaints to God. For in our vulnerable, disjointed, powerless-seeming prayers, we discover that we are connected to the promises of redemption in Christ and to a Father who hears the pleading of His children. Here we are offered a warm welcome and a safe refuge that He has personally provided at His own expense.
1 JOHN 5:14-15 (HE HEARS US)
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
1 John 5:14–15
There is so much in this passage, but that one little nugget is enough to encourage even the weariest of souls. Honestly, don’t we all want to be heard, especially when we are hurting or carrying a heavy burden?
Well, be encouraged! You are heard. Indeed, this verse assures us that we can be confident that God hears us when we pray.
ROMANS 8:26-27 (THE HOLY SPIRIT INTERCEDES FOR US)
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”
Romans 8:26-27
In his letter to the Romans, Paul describes the Holy Spirit’s supernatural role in our prayers. Isn’t it amazing to know that when we pray, the Holy Spirit reads our hearts and intercedes on our behalf in ways that eclipse our understanding? Even when we can’t find the words, the Holy Spirit searches our hearts and puts our requests for our grandchildren in alignment with the mind of God.
MATTHEW 18:19-20 (THERE IS POWER IN PRAYING WITH OTHERS)
“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”
Matthew 18:19-20
When Jesus spoke these words, He emphasized the power of corporate prayer. While we understand that individual prayer is extremely important (Matthew 6:6-8), here we see that corporate prayer is also of great value.
When we pray with others, we receive the benefit of another’s point of view. In this community of prayer, we also receive encouragement, agreement of spirit, direction, and confirmation of God’s will.
