Verse: James 5:13-15
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 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. 15 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.
Devotion
Have you ever had one of those friends who, no matter what the issue, they recommend the same thing because they believe in it so much? Like the exercise fanatic: “Having trouble sleeping? Exercise will help with that. Anxiety? Try exercising! Financial issues? EXERCISE! Trust me!”
I feel like that’s what James is doing here. He is selling out hard core on prayer. Having a good day? Pray! Bad day? Pray! Sick? Pray with others! Sinning? Pray with even more people! PRAY PRAY PRAY!
It seems repetitive almost to the point of ridiculousness. I wonder why?
Is he just, “one of those prayer people” who just loves to pray?
Or does he know, after growing up with Jesus, and then leading the Jerusalem church in the midst of widespread struggle, that prayer, above all else, is what this early church will need? Maybe he would echo Paul: “Pray on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” Ephesians 6:18
So this begs the question: do I pray enough? Or maybe that sounds too much like a performance question. Let’s try another one: “Am I taking advantage of the blessing of prayer often enough?” Am I enjoying what God has given me? Am I fully experiencing the life that God has for me in prayer? Or I am subsisting on the dregs of life, just getting by on my own? Too often I think that’s the case for me. How about you?
Prayer
I pray (ironic right?) that you would help prayer to rise to the forefront of my life. I need it more. I know that I do. And I ask that you would help me to see past distractions and build a life dependent on prayer to a God who loves me.
Author: Christian Dunn
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