Published 3/25/19
Read James 5:13-18
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
Reflect
· Are you committed to prayer?
· Are you convinced of the power of prayer?
· Do you believe God hears and cares about your prayers?
Through prayer, we can open a window that allows God's eternal love and healing power to shine into our lives; we can open our hands to receive His many blessings; we can open our hearts to let His presence fill and strengthen us. In the words of R.C. Sproul, "The Lord God of the universe, the Creator and Sustainer of all things, ... not only commands us to pray, but also invites us to make our requests known. ... In the act and dynamic of praying, I bring my whole life under His gaze. Yes, He knows what is in my mind, but I still have the privilege of articulating to Him what is there. He says, 'Come. Speak to Me. Make your requests known to Me.' And so, we come in order to know Him and to be known by Him." [1]
God hears and answers our prayers. But we must be proactive. We must open the window by kneeling before Him in prayer. Jesus says that we have not because we ask not. James tells us that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much. Again and again, the holy Scriptures reveal to us that prayer is an effective tool.
Pray
Lord, I'm trusting You with my prayers. Empower me, guide me, and give me peace. Amen.
[1] Sproul, R.C., from Effective Prayer (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, © 1984), p. X.