Calling Out to God #3

The Letter of James is considered a very practical book in living out our faith. One of the best-known passages is on prayer:

5:13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 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. 15 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.

First, James says every situation in life is one to call out to God in prayer: good or bad. Secondly, he talks about the connection between sin, sickness, and prayer.  Any sickness is special reaon to pray - not just for physical healing, but as a reminder between sin and sickness.  Jesus was very clear: being blind or sick in some other way cannot always be directly connected to an individual's sin.  Yet, what did the blind and sick do? They called out to God. A significant part of Jesus' ministry included healing sickness. Sometimes He healed first, then addressed the person's need for forgiveness; at other times He forgave, then healed.  The religious leaders of the day tended to avoid the sick; Jesus did not, and James called upon them to be involved in the lives of those who were sick, because of this three-way connect between sin, sickness, and prayer. Believing prayer makes a difference, not only physically, but more importantly spiritually? Are you sick or suffering? Pray and ask others to join you. Are you feeling good, everything going great? Pray prayers of praise and ask others to join you. Any day is a good day to call out to God.