praying effectively: Pray (James 5:13-18)

(James 5:13-18)  Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.

Reminder:  "praying effectively" involves knowing God's will.  When we pray in His will (in His name), He may choose to not answer those prayers in the time period that we would like, or HOW we would like - but He will answer those prayers!

It is God's will:

- that we ask the elders to pray over us when we are sick (5:14-16)

- that we confess our sins to one another so that our prayers will be heard (5:16)

- that we pray for one another (5:16)

- that we pray in times of suffering (5:13)

- that we sing praises in times of joy (5:13)

Today's prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, thank You that You are the great Healer.  Please heal us spiritually, and emotionally.  And if it is Your will, please heal us physically.  Forgive any sins that are in our lives.  Make these obvious to us so that we may turn away from those sinful behaviors.  Forgive our sins so that they will not impede our prayers of requests to You.

Thank You for Your blessings and the joyful freedom which You bring to our hearts.  May we not be afraid to openly praise Your name.  You alone are worthy, oh Lord!  You alone are all-knowing, and all-powerful.  You see everything, so You are able!  More than able!  With You, nothing is impossible.  May this inspire us to grow in our faith and daily put our trust in You for everything.  Amen.