During our last worship service, I spoke about praying for our government leaders. Of course, you can pray for them any time you want, but what if you want to talk to them directly. Would you be allowed to speak with Governor Spanberger if you drove to Richmond, knocked on the door of the Executive Mansion and simply demanded to have a conversation with her? Or, could you stroll up to the White House, stand outside the West Wing and demand an audience with the President? No, you couldn’t do either one. In fact, before trying these things, make sure you know a good bail bondsman because there’s a good chance you’ll end up in jail. That’s what makes prayer one of the most amazing things. We don’t generally have instant access to our earthly leaders, and yet we always have immediate access to speak to the Creator of the Universe through the means of prayer. With prayer being such a wonderful privilege, we need to know how to engage in effective, powerful prayer.
The Apostle James engages this important topic directly. He tells us: “The prayer of a RIGHTEOUS person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16b (NIV 2011) Or, a paraphrase would be: “The prayer of a RIGHTEOUS person will yield forceful, powerful results.”[1] You see, the prayer of a righteous person goes far beyond simply providing access to God. Such prayer is filled with holy power and achieves results that exceed anything we might imagine. But, it is important to note that God’s response to our prayers is a function of our spiritual character. Our character is molded by the kind of relationship we have with God. It is not as simple as saying that a Christian’s prayer will be heard by God, but everyone else’s prayers are disregarded. Rather, listen to what the Book of Proverbs says: “The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright [or righteous][2] pleases Him.” Proverbs 15:8 (NIV84) Someone making a “sacrifice” indicates a person who holds themselves out as a supposed “worshipper” of God. In other words, they show an outward appearance of being “religious.” But, God doesn’t care so much about outward appearances as He does about the inward nature of one’s heart. And, if one’s inner heart yearns to engage in some activity that offends God—therein lies the “wickedness.” Whatever apparent religious rituals such a person participates in is not going to be received well by God. Likewise, if we pray, but harbor in our hearts something that goes against God’s will for our lives, that prayer is going to be powerless and ineffectual. That’s why John’s Gospel tells us: “We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does His will.” John 9:31 (NIV) The Book of Proverbs adds: “The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the RIGHTEOUS.” (Proverbs 15:29 (NIV)
Now, let me be clear. This does not mean if you commit any sin, God won’t hear your prayers. If that were the case, no one’s prayers would be heard because all of us, even after coming to Christ, occasionally sin. But, those in Christ have given up their old lifestyles which once reflected a habitual pattern of sin. For true followers of Christ, sin is no longer the norm, but the exception. Our sin creates remorse within our hearts and a reliance upon Christ for forgiveness to seek a restored relationship with God. For those who truly seek this restored relationship, they have the prospect of becoming “righteous.”
So, what does it mean to be a “righteous” person who can have an actively functioning prayer life? The Prophet Ezekiel touches upon some of the dimensions of “righteousness.” In Ezekiel 18, we find the following insights: 5 “Suppose a certain man is RIGHTEOUS and does what is just and right. 6 He does not feast in the mountains before Israel’s idols or worship them. He does not commit adultery. . . 7 He is a merciful creditor, not keeping the items given as security by poor debtors. He does not rob the poor but instead gives food to the hungry and provides clothes for the needy. 8 He grants loans without interest, stays away from injustice, is honest and fair when judging others, 9 and faithfully obeys my decrees and regulations. Anyone who does these things is just and will surely live, says the Sovereign Lord.” Ezekiel 18:5–9 (NLT) So, if we do all the things mentioned in Ezekiel 18, would we then be considered “righteous?” Well, no—we don’t become righteous based solely upon what we do. We can become righteous only through what Jesus has done for us. Until we take advantage of Jesus’ sacrifice in the Cross, we are anything but righteous. Why would I say that?
The answer is found throughout both the Old and New Testaments. For example, in Ecclesiastes 7:20, the “Preacher” states the reality of the human condition apart from the saving blood of Christ: “Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.” (NIV) The Apostle Paul affirms this in the New Testament when stating: “As the Scriptures say, ‘No one is righteous—not even one.’” Romans 3:10 (NLT) If this were all the Scriptures had to say about our prospects of righteousness, we’d be left in a very sorry state. But, fortunately, that is not all the Scriptures tell us about this subject. Consider the words of Jesus just before being baptized by his cousin, John.
John the Baptist was baptizing people in the Jordan River by calling them to “confess their sins” and to repent.[3] But, as we know, Jesus didn’t have any sins to confess nor did He need to repent.[4] Although He never sinned, Jesus asked John to baptize Him. Why? The answer lies in Matthew 3, it tells us: 13 “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You, and do you come to me?’ 15 Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to FULFILL ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS.’” Matthew 3: 13-15a (NIV 84) What did Jesus mean by that? Pastor and Christian writer, J. D. Greear, explains by asking: “Whose righteousness would [Jesus’] baptism fulfill? His righteousness was already fulfilled, and could not be any fuller! It was [our] righteousness He was fulfilling. He was undergoing a baptism of repentance in [our] place, repenting in a way that could truly be called ‘righteous,’ so that His death could be a perfect substitute for [you and me].” [5]
You see, apart from Christ, we are all “unrighteous” sheep” who have gone astray. The Bible is filled with this kind of metaphor reflecting humanity’s sinful condition that can be remedied only through Jesus’ blood shed on the Cross. The Prophet Isaiah pointed to this when he stated: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him [Jesus Christ] the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6 (NIV) And being “sheep” who have gone “astray,” we need a Good Shepherd to show us the way back to green pastures and cool still waters in the safety of His fold.
So, let’s regroup here for a moment to summarize where we are. To have a powerful and effective prayer life we need to be righteous. But, no one is righteous in our natural states as human beings because we are like wayward sheep in need of a shepherd. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who can lead us on the paths to righteousness. That is exactly what the opening passage of David’s 23rd Psalm is all about. The Psalm starts off: 1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; HE LEADS ME IN THE PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR HIS NAME’S SAKE.” Psalm 23:1–3 (NKJV)
This passage tells us something very important. A shepherd, of course, knows all about the habits of sheep. Pastor Philip Keller is well acquainted with the habits of sheep. Before becoming a pastor, he worked as a shepherd for eight years. Keller found that sheep would not lie down for rest in a pasture or by a stream of water unless they were freed from anything that might cause them fear. He notes that only a gentle and caring shepherd can provide a peaceful and secure environment. It’s the kind of setting that relieves sheep of their fears to ultimately allow them rest.[6] Likewise, for those who will follow Him, Jesus leads us to those green, lush pastures where we can lie down and find rest. He takes us to those cool, still waters where we can drink the Water of Life.[7] And so, Jesus calls out to us, as His “sheep”: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
But, Jesus doesn’t always leave us there in those green pastures and beside rolling brooks. If we always stayed in such pleasant conditions, we’d become lazy and never mature spiritually. Jesus does not want lazy Christians. He wants us to be strong and energetic bearers of God’s Word who will live a full and abundant life in Him. And so, sometimes, we have to leave those places of rest and fall upon the hard and rocky places of life. Once such troubles come upon the “righteous,” how do they respond? Again, David offers the proper response in another of his psalms.
In Psalm 34:15–22, David proclaims: 15 “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry for help… 17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit. 19 One who is righteous has many adversities, but the Lord rescues him from them all. 20 He protects all his bones; not one of them is broken… 22 The Lord redeems the life of His servants, and all who take refuge in Him will not be punished.” (CSB)
Here, we can see that, even if a person is righteous (in the sense of having a right relationship with the Lord), there is no guarantee that his or her life will be trouble-free. Nevertheless, we can rest assured that all can take refuge in the Good Shepherd who will rescue them from any and all difficulties.[8] As Psalm 23 says, He will rescue us with His “rod” and “staff” from the dangers that beset us.[9] So, during our times of trials and difficulties, we need to remember that the easy path is not always an indicator of God’s plan for our lives. As you study God’s Word and engage in an active prayer life, you will begin to see that the Lord orchestrates your circumstances—not for comfort—but to boost your dependence on Him. Although it isn’t easy to see this when our troubles may seem so overwhelming, we have the promise that God will “restore our souls” in a way that is spiritually beneficial and will align our wills with the will of God. Paul touches upon this benefit when writing: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2 (NIV) [10] If we will just keep the faith throughout the ordeals of life, these experiences will refine us spiritually. That’s what David means by saying God will “restore” our souls.
But, God does more than restore our souls, for David goes on to say that “He leads [us] in the paths of righteousness.” Psalm 23:3 (NKJV) Here, “paths of righteousness” refers to the moral paths of our lives that conform to God’s will. God’s will is that we follow His straight paths—for as the Lord declares in the Book of Proverbs: 11 “I am teaching you the way of wisdom; I am guiding you on straight paths. 12 When you walk, your steps will not be hindered; when you run, you will not stumble.” Proverbs 4:11–12 (CSB) And, as David indicates, God guides us along these paths “for His name’s sake.” In other words, God cares for His “sheep” in this way because of His great reputation that’s stamped with loving care and faithfulness to those in His flock.”[11]
So, if righteousness involves living our lives in a manner that conforms to God’s will, then what does it mean to “pray according to God’s will”? Well, think of this in human terms. Again, let’s go back to an example using one of our government leaders to show what it means NOT to prayer according to God’s will. Let’s pretend that (after getting a good bail bondsmen) I make that visit to Washington, D.C., walk up to the White House and knock on the front door. President Trump opens the door and says, “Satterwhite—what in the world do you want now?!” And, hypothetically, I respond: “Well Donald, I would like for you to establish sanctuary cities all over the country for illegal immigrants, release the Venezuelan President, Maduro, and publicly apologize to him for his arrest and incarceration, and then make me a Cabinet member so I can help you get these things done.” (Again, this is purely hypothetical and not an expression of policies I endorse!) In any event, how do you think the President would respond to my requests? I know I would be considering the answer to that while sitting in that jail cell with President Maduro. President Trump wouldn’t dream of doing anything I asked because my requests would be totally against his policies.
You see, when you pray to God in a manner similar to my requests to the President, your prayers will never be answered. A righteous person’s prayers are always answered because they are aligned with God’s plan for their lives. God answers them according to what He knows is best for them and for others. He does not necessarily answer our prayers in the way that we think is best. In fact, it is a good thing that this is true because quite often our view of what is “best” is self-centered, not God-centered. In this regard, Christian writer and trial attorney, Mark Lanier, in his book, Atheism on Trial: A Lawyer Examines the Case for Unbelief, writes: “Prayer centers on the importance of seeking God’s will. I would like a number of things in my life, but the real thing I should seek is God’s will. If I want to be well but through my sickness I or others will grow in faith, then let me be sick! If my death will help others find the way, if it will work better in God’s kingdom for me to meet death today instead of tomorrow, then Lord, take me today!” [12] When we pray in this way, our prayers start to focus, not just on ourselves, but on what is beneficial to God’s Kingdom. This world is filled with suffering. It is under constant attack by Satan and his minions. Sin is engulfing this world like a wildfire out of control. When our prayers are aimed at these problems first, and toward ourselves second, we start to pray more as righteous followers of Christ, and less as self-centered pursuers of God’s blessings. It is then that our prayers become aligned with God’s will and are routinely answered. Again, Mark Lanier puts it well in stating: “Prayer invokes and works God’s plans on earth so that humanity can fulfill and walk in God’s will. It is not all about me or you. It is all about Him.” [13]
When you pray like that, you’ll begin to look at life differently. Your relationship with Jesus Christ will become enriched. Years ago, there was a popular bumper sticker that read: “Jesus is My Copilot.” I feel fairly certain that those who displayed this bumper sticker did so with the best of intentions. They probably thought that it offered a message to the world that they relied upon Jesus to “drive their car through life.” Unfortunately, the underlying message could also reflect a soul in need of restoration. If Jesus is merely your copilot, then you have positioned Him in the wrong seat. You see, it’s not your car that He’s driving—it’s His car.[14] The reality is that we high-jacked the car and started driving it to the places we desire. At that point in our lives, we had a lot of “DUI’s” (“Driving Under Iniquities”) on our driving record of life. We rejected righteousness and accepted recklessness instead. For those who will repent, they switch seats with Jesus and put Him behind the wheel. Instead of driving how and where they want to, they give way to Jesus and allow Him to be their “GPS” (“Godly Positioning System”). And, if you truly seek His will for your life, you must engage in a righteous prayer life—one that is powerfully effective for the benefit of God’s Kingdom. And, when you do that, then you’ll understand exactly why Paul instructs us to: 16 “Rejoice always, 17 PRAY CONSTANTLY, 18 give thanks in everything; for this is GOD’S WILL FOR YOU IN CHRIST JESUS.” 1st Thessalonians 5:16–18 (CSB) And, what is more, you can join with John in saying: “We are sure of this, that He will listen to us whenever we ask Him for anything in line with His will. 15 And if we really know He is listening when we talk to Him and make our requests, then we can be sure that He will answer us.” 1st John 5:14–15 (TLB) That is the power of prayer! It is the assurance of knowing that the God to whom we pray is the source of our strength and that He can and will answer our prayers according to His supreme will and perfect timing for our lives.[15] Let it be so in your prayer life today!
Darvin Satterwhite, Pastor
Forest Hill Baptist Church
February 8, 2026
©2026 All Rights Reserved as follows:
Anyone is at liberty to use this sermon or any portions thereof for educational or religious purposes, with or without credit. The pastor believes the material presented herein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of God’s Word. The publication of this material is a grace ministry of Forest Hill Baptist Church in Louisa, Virginia.
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[1] Got Questions Ministries. 2014–2021. Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered. Vol. 2. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife.
[2] Strong, James. Strong’s Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary. WORDsearch, 2020.
[3] Matthew 3:6–8 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” (NIV)
[4] Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet HE DID NOT SIN.” (NIV)
[5] Greear, J. D. 2013. Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved. Nashville, TN: B&H Books. See Greear’s source material at: Wright, Tom. 2004. Matthew for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 1-15. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.
[6] Boice, James Montgomery. 2005. Psalms 1–41: An Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
[7] John 4:13–14 13 “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” (NIV)
[8] Motyer, J. A. 1994. “The Psalms.” In New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, edited by D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, and G. J. Wenham, 4th ed., 507. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.
[9] Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (NKJV)
[10] “Choosing a Path,” Barry, John D., and Rebecca Van Noord, eds. Moment with God: A Devotional on Every Biblical Book. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014. (Matt Erbaugh Originally published in Bible Study Magazine Jan–Feb ’12).
[11] Ross, Allen P. 1985. “Psalms.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, 1:811–12. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[12] Lanier, W. Mark. 2022. Atheism on Trial: A Lawyer Examines the Case for Unbelief. Downers Grove, IL: IVP: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Greear, J. D. 2013. Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved. Nashville, TN: B&H Books.
[15] Got Questions Ministries. 2014–2021. Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered. Vol. 2. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife.
Topics: God's will, prayer, righteous
