“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (Jas 5:16).
It is not admired prayers we need, but availing ones; not expansive, but effective. We can do without the fancy kind, but not without the fervent kind. William Law writes: “It is not the arithmetic of our prayers, how many they are; nor the rhetoric of our prayers, how eloquent they are; nor the geometry of our prayers, how long they are; nor the music of our prayers, how sweet our voice may be; nor the logic of our prayers, how argumentative they may be; nor the method of our prayers, how orderly they may be—which God cares for. Fervency of spirit is that which ‘avails much’” (quoted by J.S. Baxter, Explore the Book, p 236).
Interestingly, when Paul calls us to be “fervent in spirit” (Rom 12:11), he uses the Greek word zeo, to be hot or boiling. Peter uses the word ektenes, unceasing, for having “fervent love” (1 Pet 4:8). But James uses energeo, active and efficient, for our “fervent prayer.”