James 5:16b (NASB)
The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

“Prayer will become effective when we stop using it as a substitute for obedience.”
A.W. Tozer

This quote from Tozer immediately made me think about the verse in James 5. We all want our prayers to be effective, but they can only do that when our thoughts are aligned with God.

John 9:31 (NASB)
We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him.

How do we do that? Consider this progression.

• Effective prayers come from the righteous
• The righteous are saved by grace
• Those saved by grace desire to please God, not because it saves them, but because of what Jesus has done for them
• We please God when we are in His will
• We are in His will when we follow His commandments
• When we follow His commandments, we are obedient
• When we are obedient, our prayers reflect His will and are effective.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the council of your scriptures. I pray that they direct my steps and that the Holy Spirit will draw me into obedience. As I pray, help me to discard my will and only pray for Your will to be done. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,