During my years of inward struggle, I adopted James 5:16 as my favorite verse on prayer. It is a demanding verse, for it implies that the effective prayer warrior must keep his or her life clean. Notice the key adjective describing the praying person: righteous. Ultimately, we become righteous only in Christ, but the righteousness of Christ should show up in our lives in practical ways, among those, faithfulness in prayer. Read this verse in several translations:
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (NIV)
The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results. (NLT)
The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available. (AMP)
When a believing person prays, great things happen. (NCV)
The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. (MSG)
An upright man’s prayer, when it keeps at work, is very powerful. (WMS)
Tremendous power is made available through a good man’s earnest prayer. (PH)