James 5:13-16 (NLT) Read these words carefully. “13Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. 16Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.”
Prayer is a very interesting topic. I get this question quite often, “If God knows everything, then why do I have to pray?” The answer to that has many layers, but let’s start with this one: Imagine you have found the person of your dreams with whom you desire to spend the rest of your life. You get married – and then you rarely if ever speak to them – or only speak to them when YOU need something, from that point? Healthy relationship? The short answer is obviously NO. Prayer, among many other things, is a relationship builder between you and your creator as you seek to “know and be known” by Him. Prayer empowers the relationship by deepening the connection, the trust, and the love. Also, by making yourself vulnerable to God in prayer by discussing your own sin nature and deepest fears and “thorns in your side,” help you to understand YOURSELF a whole lot better.
Prayer is a very interesting topic. I get this question quite often, “If God knows everything, then why do I have to pray?” The answer to that has many layers, but let’s start with this one: Imagine you have found the person of your dreams with whom you desire to spend the rest of your life. You get married – and then you rarely if ever speak to them – or only speak to them when YOU need something, from that point? Healthy relationship? The short answer is obviously NO. Prayer, among many other things, is a relationship builder between you and your creator as you seek to “know and be known” by Him. Prayer empowers the relationship by deepening the connection, the trust, and the love. Also, by making yourself vulnerable to God in prayer by discussing your own sin nature and deepest fears and “thorns in your side,” help you to understand YOURSELF a whole lot better.
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