In his epistle, the apostle James wrote, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (Jms 5:16) For us as the just or the righteous, our prayer avails much when we pray effectively and fervently. What does it mean to be effective in our prayer? It means we pray correctly in a manner that will cause results. What does it mean to fervent in our prayer? It means we pray with passion and intensity of our emotion.
The apostle Paul wrote that we should always pray with all kinds of prayers and supplications in the Spirit (Eph 6:18). There many different types of prayers for different occasions. To know which type of prayer is right at any given situation, and to pray effectively and fervently, we must be in the Spirit. The prayer of faith (Jms 5:15) and the prayer of agreement (Mat 18:19) are two examples of different types of prayers.
The prayer of faith is the prayer that expresses faith, believing that what is asked has been received before it is actually received. In the words of the Lord Jesus, “Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you have receive them, and you will have them.” (Mrk 11:24) This type of prayer is the one that the elders of the church are supposed to pray when they are called to pray for the sick (Jms 5:14-15).
The prayer of agreement is the prayer that expresses agreement of at least two believers concerning anything that they ask (Mat 18:19). The Lord Jesus Himself is in the midst of the believers who pray this prayer, because where two or three of them are gathered together in His name, He is there in the midst of them (Mat 18:20). This type of prayer is the one that the church is supposed to pray whenever they gather together.
Praying fervently normally means praying out loud. However, this is not always possible, especially when we pray in public places. How should we pray fervently when it is not possible to pray out loud? We focus on the intent of our prayer because the power of God always follows our intent. Then, we direct our words forcefully without having to raise our voice.