Four Weeks of Prayer - Week 3

Four Weeks of Prayer

September 30, 2012

James 5:13-16

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.  

Prayer is absolutely important in the life of a Christian.  It is a primary connection point between our lives and God.  Prayer is a community effort.  We don’t just pray by ourselves.  Our prayers for each other are to be visible, active, and intentional.  When a church prays, people change.  Lives are changed.  Sickness is overcome.  Forgiveness is received.  The church comes together and becomes more united than it was before.  This scripture paints a beautiful picture of the church.  It is a place where the leadership and all the people humble themselves in faith before God.  It is a place where God’s work is being done and can be seen.  It is a place where people experience forgiveness and have their lives changed for the better because of it.  Does our church look like this?

The prayers offered are offered in faith by faithful people.  A church is a place where people regularly step out of faith in their daily lives.  It is a place where people are intentionally choosing the path of righteousness.  Stepping out on faith often feels risky.  It is believing and acting when you can’t fully understand or know what will happen.  It is sometimes difficult to trust.  Yet trusting God opens the door for us to experience to power of God.  Faith works.  Prayer works.  This week we invite everyone to live lives of righteousness.  Let’s spend 30 minutes in prayer every day.  Let’s be the church, lifting each other to God.  May God show us his power this week.