Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
(James 5:16)
What makes a prayer “fervent”? Technically, the word means “to be active.” In other words, prayer that isn’t regularly uttered isn’t fervent. Prayer that isn’t constantly made isn’t fervent. Prayer that isn’t frequently delivered to the throne of God isn’t fervent.
What does a “fervent” prayer look like?
Here’s the best illustration I can give you: Pray, for whatever it is, as though no one else is praying for it. Pray as though it all depends on you. Pray as though you were the only person on the planet bringing this to God, and so if anyone is going to make the request to the Father, it’s going to have to be you. Pray as though the whole issue is riding on you.
What are you worried about? What are you anxious about? What keeps you up at night? It may be something personal, in which case none of us know to pray about it anyway. On the other hand, it may be something global or national. You may be worried about something that will affect millions, if not billions.
Pray about it, and pray with so much “fervor” that you feel as though you’re the only one bringing it to God.
Do that, and see how much it may “avail.”
~Matthew