June 19 - He Asks Us To Pray

Read James 5:13-20

Context: James, presumed to be the brother of Jesus not the disciple, offers practical and sometimes blunt advice about Christianity. This text is the close of the book, which up to this point has discussed the trials and temptations of life and our need to submit to God. He asks the readers to be patient in their inevitable suffering and wait upon the Lord.

Text:
13Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
17Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. 19My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins. (NIV)

taken from www.biblegateway.com

Prayer is an interesting thing. As children we learn mealtime and bedtime prayers. As Christians we offer prayers to God for thanksgiving, growth, healing, and help in trouble. Sometimes it seems that I offer up similar prayers at particular times and they start to feel repetitive and rote. Other times it almost feels selfish to pray...there are so many things I am asking God to do: heal a friend, help a family member in trouble, prayers for others who have made a request, prayers for my family and myself. Other times there is the feeling that He knows what I need before I ask, so why voice it and 'bother' God with additional words?

Yet over and over we see the power of prayer in the Bible. Jesus, God himself, prayed regularly and fervently. God doesn't always answer prayers in the way we want, but He always answers. Often, by the time we receive the answer, He has prepared us to accept it.

I wonder if prayers are more for our benefit than God's? Through the process of humbling ourselves to ask for help or putting the needs of others before our own as we pray for them, life's real difficulties become more focused. Also, over the course of time, I realize that I am more open to God's will that I was when I first started praying for a particular cause. Maybe He doesn't need to hear our prayers as much as we do...