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. 16 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. 17 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. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
As he has done previously, James picks a biblical character to illustrate his point: Elijah was a man of powerful prayer; he prayed boldly, specifically, and persistently for years, during a time of oppression. These believers were being oppressed for their faith and tempted to turn in their hearts and with their mouths to complaining, backbiting, and all sorts of abusive behavior with their speech. "Inappropriate!", James says. No matter our circumstance, as Christ followers we need to be people of prayer: praising God, praying for one other, willing to humbly ask others to pray for us, so we do not become bitter complainers. What have you allowed the difficult circumstances of your life do to your prayer life? Maybe it's time to let your prayer life control your circumstances.
No comments:
Post a Comment