"THe Power of Prayer"

The Power of Prayer

James 5:13-16

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

Prayer changes things. Have you ever heard that phrase before? It seems as though James believes the sentiment of that statement to be true.

Prayers do change things. All throughout the Scriptures, we see prayer interwoven into the fabric of the people of God. From Abraham to Moses, from David to Jeremiah, from Jesus to His brother James—the writer of this book.

We were designed and created to commune and speak with God. Prayers have power. But what does it have power to do?

According to James, prayer has the power to move the hand of God toward what His heart already desires for us.

James references the Old Testament prophet Elijah from 1 & 2 Kings, who was human just like we are, prayed to God and saw his prayer answered. One instance he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for 3 ½ years. Then, he prayed again and the sky sent down rain…

Prayer changed his life. Do you know that activating your prayer life could change yours?

More often than not, the power of prayer allows us to see clearly its ability to change us from the inside out.

Our circumstances might not always change, but our perspective can. Think about the question and instruction James leads with in this passage.

He says, “Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray.” Why is prayer his resolution? Could it be that the power of prayer is activated by our faith in the One in whom we are praying to? If prayer is talking with God, then faith is a necessary part of the equation.

You may have some hardships, it could be financial, relational, physical or emotional. Whatever it may be, just know It’s time to lean into the power of prayer and believe that God wants you to talk with Him about it, so He can talk to you about it. The good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between.

If God can do something somewhere, He can do that something anywhere. If He moved in Elijah’s life, He can move in your life. But we must follow the instruction of James and the example of Elijah and actually do it.

So, what’s keeping you from communing with God today? Turn down the noise around you and talk to God. Have a little talk with Jesus… Invite God in. Faith-filled prayer has the power to unlock healing, forgiveness, and breakthrough in your life and the lives of those around us. So let it start with you, today!

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Prayer: God, thank you for hearing me when I pray. Help me to be more aware of your presence in my life. I ask that you open my spiritual ears and remove any blockages in my life that hinder my relationship with you. Speak to me today and help me to commit every area of my life to prayer, help me to make more space for prayer each day. Lord, do all you want in and through my life for your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.