1 Pet 3:12 “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.”
Jam 5:16b-18 “… The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.”
- The question is who are these “Righteous”? The one and only “righteous by law” is our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ and he is our intercessor.
Rom 3:10 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”
John 15:10 “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I [Jesus Christ] have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.”
1 Pet 1:19 “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”
Hebrews 7:25-27 “Wherefore he (Jesus) is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. 26For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;27Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.”
- Example of Jesus praying for Peter:
Luke 22:31-32 “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”
- Righteous are those who are saved [born-again], and they are righteous only because of covering of Christ’s robe of righteousness
Gal 2:16 “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”
Php 3:9 “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith…”
- God hears our prayers because of the indwelling Holy Spirit given in Salvation, who makes intercession for us according to the will of God.
1 John 5:14 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:”
Eph 2:18 “For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”
Rom 8:26-27 “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
