Today's Scripture
The Prayers of Many People – James 5:13-16
13 Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. 14 Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
RJ's Devotion
What the passage says
V. 13-14 In all the situations we are in, there is a call to prayer
V. 15-16 The prayer, offered with faith, has the power to wash our sins and heal us.
What does the passage say to me/us?
We are in need of prayer every day. There are times when we go through difficulties, or even the time when we hear the tragic news of our loved ones, that is when we know that prayer is needed. However, we also know how prayer needs to be offered in our daily lives, to enhance our faith.
In today’s passage, James talks about how prayer is the answer to our problems.
We need to understand that there are some conditions for us to experience this power of prayer.
First, it is clear that the person going through the difficulties needs to pray him or herself. We are to ask for intercessory prayer, but that will not be sufficient if we do not pray ourselves.
The ultimate goal of prayer is to increase our faith. “The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up, and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven” (v. 15 NRSV). When we come to the Lord, on our knees, we see how we grow in our faith.
Our church is committed to helping people grow in their faith through prayer. We are committed to praying for you in this journey. However, we would love to have you committed in prayer first. If you do not know how to pray, I would suggest that you just cry out to the Lord. If you need more guidance in prayer, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Let’s grow in prayer together.
Prayer
Lord, helps us to seek your presence in our lives. Help us to desire your presence every day. Grow us to be more like you. Use us for your glory.
In Christ name, we pray, AMEN
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