James 5:13-20
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. 19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
There is power in confession. Verse 16 says: "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed". When we try to keep our sins a secret, then we are trapped in our secrecy. But when we confess them to others, we are freed to find healing. This is why it is important to have accountability partners and support groups where we can be honest about our struggles. The other aspect of this is the importance of praying for each other. Verse 16 goes on to say that "the prayer of a righteous person has great power". We need the power and effectiveness of prayer to fight the good fight and gain victory over temptation. Part of what happens with both confession and prayer is that we invite others to help us in our struggle, and thus become stronger versus battling on our own.
Lord, thank You for the gift of prayer, and for community.
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. 19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
There is power in confession. Verse 16 says: "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed". When we try to keep our sins a secret, then we are trapped in our secrecy. But when we confess them to others, we are freed to find healing. This is why it is important to have accountability partners and support groups where we can be honest about our struggles. The other aspect of this is the importance of praying for each other. Verse 16 goes on to say that "the prayer of a righteous person has great power". We need the power and effectiveness of prayer to fight the good fight and gain victory over temptation. Part of what happens with both confession and prayer is that we invite others to help us in our struggle, and thus become stronger versus battling on our own.
Lord, thank You for the gift of prayer, and for community.