50 Days of Prayer for Fellowship CRC

James 5:13-18, “Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up, and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.  

These are some of the most practical, straightforward words about prayer in the entire Bible. They are given to us by James, someone who was fully dedicated to the Lord Jesus, and who no doubt wrote from his own experience of praying for people in every situation.  James’ words are saturated with faith, faith in God who hears our prayers, faith that God will answer our prayers.  Do you and I share the faith in the power of prayer which James had?

In our 50 Days of Prayer this week our church is focussed on intercession.  That is, we are focussed on actually praying for one another, not just talking about it. James has a lot to say here about praying for one another. His advice is very simple: if you need prayer, you should ask for it, and don’t forget to confess your sins when you do.  When was the last time we included confession in our requests for prayer?  James is not making healing dependent on confession; he is reminding us that the healing for our souls is more important than the healing of our bodies (see Mark 2:1-12). 

My encouragement today is that you take James at his word. Ask in faith for what you need, including your need for forgiveness. You don’t need to “go to Confession.”  You can come to me, to a church elder, or to a trusted, faithful friend, and you will be prayed for.  God is waiting for us to come in prayer.

And keep on praying for one another. Our God is faithful, and he will hear and answer our prayers, forgive our sins, and heal our sicknesses.

Note: You might also want to read the Today Devotional for Feb. 18th.

So we pray,
Thank you for the privilege of praying for one another. Thank you for hearing our prayers for one another. Thank you for your forgiveness and healing. Please increase our faith as we pray for one another today. Raise us up, Lord, we pray. Amen.