James 5:13–18 (ESV)
The Prayer of Faith
13
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith
will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power
as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
You see in today’s reading that we are to pray and praise in all situations. Both prayer and praise is communication directed to God. I would call praise a joyful prayer that often can be in the form of singing with
joy. Another form of prayer is confession. When we repent, we take it to the Lord and confess our sins. Whether we are crying, speechless with hurt, or dealing with the guilt of sin, we take our sins to Jesus and lay them at the feet of the cross. Prayer is
very powerful. It is important to talk to the Lord.
I pray: O Lord, I am excited to share my joys with you and to give you praise for all you have done for me. There are times that my prayers come with heavy
heart. Let me never be afraid to talk to you, but to always come to you in prayer. Thank you Lord for your forgiveness, eternal life, and salvation. Amen.