Meditate and pray.
Are any of you suffering hardships? You
should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you
sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over
you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer
offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if
you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess 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 produces wonderful results. Elijah
was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain
would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed
again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops. James
5:13-18 (underlined for emphasis)
Why pray? James tells us to pray when you
are suffering, sick, or aware of your sin. Such reassuring advice James gives
to those to whom he wrote this letter…and to all Christians everywhere
throughout time. He’s telling us not only when to pray, but that prayer produces wonderful results. Prayer is
powerful!
James gives us the example of Elijah…and NO
Rain for Three Years (see 1 Kings 17-18)! Rainfall is very important—no matter
where a person lives. The rainfall in Israel varies from one to 44 inches a
year. In the area where Elijah and King Ahab were likely located there would
have been about 20 inches of rain a year occurring in the cool winter season. That
prayer was powerful. Our prayers can be as powerful. God has no favorites as
noted by Paul to the church at Galatia.
And the leaders of the church had nothing to
add to what I was preaching. (By the way, their reputation as great leaders
made no difference to me, for God has no favorites.)
Galatians 2:6
God is powerful and we have been promised
that all things are possible with God as stated by Jesus to His disciples. Also
consider the example the angel speaking to Mary, the mother of Jesus.
For nothing is impossible with God. Luke
1:37
The disciples were astounded. "Then who
in the world can be saved?" they asked. Jesus looked at them intently and
said, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is
possible." Matthew 19:25-26
The disciples were concerned with who can
be saved. Are you saved? Pray for the salvation of your family, friends, co-workers,
neighbors and community members. Time is of the essence. We don’t know when
Christ will return for His church…so we must be ready. Part of that readiness
is the salvation of others. Are you ready? Are they ready?
Prayer
~ Lord, You have said that we also must be ready all the time, for the Son of
Man will come when least expected." From Luke 12:40. I am ready. I pray for the salvation of those around me who are unsaved. Now, come
quickly, Lord Jesus.
Verse
of Salvation ~ And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until
you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for
all to see. 1 Peter 1:5
Don’t wait. Pray for salvation now.
©
2020 Text, photos and paintings by
Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
Unless
otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,
copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of
Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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