Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray…Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (James 5:13–16, NIV 1984).
My Musings – In trouble? Sick? Mired in sin? “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” (Ephesians 6:18, NIV 1984). There really is nothing that we cannot “approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16, NIV 1984). But to pray “in the Spirit,” to be able to “approach the throne…with confidence,” in order for our prayer to be “powerful and effective…in our time of need,” we should first examine our hearts.
My Advice – The “prayer of a righteous man” requires that we be “confess [any] sins… and [be purified] from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, NIV 1984). It must be “offered in faith.“ “Because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man.” (James 1:6–8, NIV 1984).
Yet in all these things, we must be prepared, like Jesus, to say, “yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42, NIV 1984). To be content that “[His] grace is sufficient for you, [that His] power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV 1984). To trust that even if the answer is not what we wanted “that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28, NIV 1984).
