“Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is 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. And 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. Therefore 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.” James 5:13-16.
James managed to name every person in every situation. He called out the person who was experiencing troubling circumstances. He searched for that person who was experiencing joy and blessings in their season of life. He exhorted the one who had become sick as a result of unconfessed sin in his life needing to confess and receive forgiveness. He singled out the person who needed to approach someone for forgiveness for the way they had treated another. He demanded his audience to pray for those they had wronged. I believe his message was to pray! Pray for everything and everyone. Pray like there is no tomorrow, for there may not be.
First and foremost, prayer should not be motivated by resolution and desire. Prayer is about intimate fellowship with God. The relationship with God is primary and the responses from God are secondary. God promises many blessings regarding those who approach His throne with confidence. We only develop this confidence by getting to know the One with the ear to hear and the heart to respond. We would never go to God without the circumstances listed above. If we were soaring through life without any demands, challenges, out of control emotions, etc… we would have no reason to approach God at all. Think of the times we enter into God’s presence in prayer. Truthfully told, the majority of time is when we are requesting something from Him…not just Him.
As we continue to experience trouble, blessings, sickness and sin let us take it all to the Father who knows and loves us best.
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