Read

James 5:13-18

¹³Are any among you suffering? They should keep on praying about it. And those who have reason to be thankful should continually sing praises to the Lord.

¹⁴Are 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. ¹⁵And their prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well. And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.

¹⁶Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results. ¹⁷Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half years! ¹⁸Then he prayed for rain, and down it poured. The grass turned green, and the crops began to grow again.

Reflect

How often do you pray? How often do you ask others pray for you? I’m as guilty as the next person. Toward the end of the service on Sundays, I often notice that although we do have people standing by to pray with anyone who want prayer, not many take advantage of the opportunity. Are all our lives perfect? Do we not need prayer?

All through chapter 5, James talks about the difficulties of life and so now, beginning in verse 13, he tells us how important prayer is to our life. We have the awesome privilege to have a personal relationship with a God who loves us. He desires that we come to him with our requests. He can’t answer a prayer that isn’t offered!

Respond

Why do you think James directed us to call for the elders of the church to pray over us?

Why is it important to confess your sins to each other and in prayer?

What does it mean to offer an earnest prayer?

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