Friday 25 May, 2018

13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

This passage reminds us of the power of prayer and the place it has in the life of a believer. Because of the right standing Jesus gives us before God our prayers are both powerful and effective. Elijah is a wonderful example to us in that he had a nature like us yet his prayers were answered and displayed God’s power.

This passage also speaks of the relationship we have with God in that no matter what we are facing in life He’s in on it. We are to respond to God. If we are suffering pray, if we are happy praise, if we are ill pray. Get the elders to pray, pray for one another etc. It’s clear that we are encouraged to pray on all fronts. Why? It has great power and produces wonderful results. Another version says, that prayer avails much. I love this! Prayer is not something we just do out of a sense of duty nor is it a waste of time – no it has power and brings results. Keep praying!

Dear God, thank you for the privilege of prayer. Help us to always come to you in prayer and that because of Jesus, our prayers avail much. Amen.

Written by Ps. Ainslie Woods