James wrote that prayer—earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
What
kind of results are you wanting from your prayers? Are you suffering hardships?
Are you happy? Are you sick? Another question to ask is…are you earnestly,
seriously praying or are your prayers half-hearted pleas that you don’t really
think God can answer? Do you doubt God’s power? Do you have sins are a barrier
between you and God? Have you repented of your sins? It is easy to lay those offences
at the foot of the cross giving them to Jesus…only to pick them up again and
carry them around a while longer. Let go of them—give them permanently to the
Lord. I’ve been there and done that—both the taking them up…and the giving them
up forever.
James
also elaborates saying… prayer offered in faith will heal the
sick, and the Lord will make you well. Faith. Believing in something hoped
for…that you can’t see. Do you have faith in God, that God can and will answer
your prayers? Are you willing to confess your sins to others and to call the
elders of your church to pray over you, anointing you with oil? One of the
classic examples of anointing with oil is from Psalm 23.
Prayer request in Jerusalem.
When someone asks you to pray...do you?
You prepare a feast for me in the
presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My
cup overflows with blessings. Psalm
23:5 (Underlined for emphasis.)
There is great
power even against demons by using prayer with anointing oil as we can see with
the disciples that Jesus sent out.
And they cast out many demons and
healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil. Mark
6:13
Yes.
Prayer produces results when the prayers are offered in faith. You can see sins
forgiven, the sick healed, those suffering hardships given strength and peace,
and people singing praises rejoicing in the love of the Lord God. Are you
praying for the wonderful results that God has available to you as you pray to
Him? Can you communicate and connect with God…read His word 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. James
5:13-16
Prayer
– Lord God, forgive me for the times in this past week when I could have spent
time in prayer and didn’t. I know there is power in prayer…even if I’ve waited
years for answers. In Your love and mercy, bless my family members who are
struggling with medical issues, giving them renewed health and strength. Shower
us all with Your peace and love as we rejoice and praise You—for Your
sacrifice, Jesus, and for Your power over life and death. Thank you.
Meditate.
Pray.
Verse
of Salvation ~ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by
his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ
from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless
inheritance--an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled,
beyond the reach of change and decay. 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 1:3-5
Are
you putting God first today?
© 2025 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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