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“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16).
After reading yesterday’s verses, we might think that it does not matter whether we pray intelligently or not, because God will always answer according to His perfect will. But it does matter, for if we pray continually in a wrong way, then we are often disappointed in the way the Lord answers. We are not really walking with the Lord, and may even think somehow that the Lord made a mistake. I remember a Christian woman many years ago who became so angry when the Lord did not answer her prayer in her way that she would not go out to the meetings and would not remember the Lord. This was a very serious way to react, for she was really saying that she knew more than the Lord did!
It is a wonderful honor to be able to pray, for as someone has said, prayer is based on the immense privilege of our having common interests with God. This means that we really want the Lord’s will, whether for ourselves or for others. When we pray intelligently, we are encouraged as we see how the Lord answers our prayers.
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