Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:13-16

——————————————————————

My wife and I were watching a movie yesterday, and it was about prayer. It focused on one particular boy and his sister (who had cancer). He wanted her well…

Periodically throughout the movie, it would put on the screen different Bible verses. One of those particular verses was from James, The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Now that hit me like a truck… I bet it does every time… it’s just a matter of not letting the thought go.

We read this isolated verse typically when it involves the sick, the hurting… but a few verses before it James tells us to pray on ALL occasions! Trouble… happy… sick…

——————————————————————

Prayer is one of the most valuable tools a believer has. Do we believe our prayers can do something? God’s expectations for effective prayer go along with these:

• And we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him. 1 John 5:14

• I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. Mark 11:24

• The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but He delights in the prayers of the upright. Proverbs 15:8

• The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16c

Applying these thoughts to our life is simple… living and praying the way God expects, (sounds like common sense) but come on, how many times do we stop and think about this before praying? Is my life in line and in check with what God expects?

God made Him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

It’s by God, through God, only with God that we can obtain this righteousness that James talks about… but or prayers have to stem from the heart of God knowing what He wants us to pray for. It’s all about that RELATIONSHIP with Jesus Christ…