Pray in faith

Are any among you in trouble? They should pray. Are any among you happy? They should sing praises. Are any among you sick? They should send for the church elders, who will pray for them and rub olive oil on them in the name of the Lord. This prayer made in faith will heal the sick; the Lord will restore them to health, and the sins they have committed will be forgiven. (verses 13-15)

Read James 5: 13-20

The Lord has given me the privilege of prayer. In my study there’s a little plaque on the wall which reads, ‘Have you prayed about it?’ It’s a reminder for me to take everything to the Lord in prayer. Sometimes something gets lost in our home, and as I pray about it, many times the Lord has revealed where it’s to be found. Prayer for those who are sick is most often at the top of my prayer list.

What is prayer? It’s a heart-to-heart talk with God in the name of Jesus. I am to pray in humility, seeking the Lord’s will to be done with my prayer request. I am to pray in faith, believing that God is able to do more than I can ask or think. I am encouraged to praise God, and to make my requests and petitions with thanksgiving.

When you pray, you can also use a prayer book and even a hymn book, because many of our hymns are prayers. Above all, keep using the word of God to feed your prayer life.

Lord, teach me to pray. Remind me to pray often the prayer you taught us to pray. Amen.

by Paul Albers, in ‘Guidance for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2002)

Visit the Daily Devotion archives page.