James 5:13-20
Today's Passage: James 5:13-20
James ends his book with a call to prayer - why do you think he ends the book this way? I think we can often get into our routine prayers. We pray before we eat, pray before bed, pray the same prayers and call it a day. Those are important, and I’m not making fun of that, but prayer is how God’s children talk to him. We wouldn’t talk to our friends or parents that way. We talk about any/everything with close friends. We share life with them. James calls us to pray in suffering, rejoicing, and sickness, and for one another. In other words, James is saying that we ought to talk to the Lord like we would talk to our closest friend. God wants us to run to him in prayer in all of life’s ups, downs, twists, and turns. 1 Thessalonians says it like this, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, ESV). Do you pray that way?
Why does James want us to pray this way? Because prayer works! When we go before the Lord in prayer, our God is listening and is pleased that we are turning to him. We should believe that God not only hears our prayers but trust that he will answer our prayers. Jesus says in Mark 11:24, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” It’s easy to doubt that God will actually answer our prayers, but God is not a God of deception. He wouldn’t tell us to come to him in prayer if he planned to ignore us. When you pray, do you pray in faith that God will answer?
If you had to rate your prayer life on a scale of 1-10, where would it be?
What do you need to do to see that number increase?
Written By: Joe Weaver
James ends his book with a call to prayer - why do you think he ends the book this way? I think we can often get into our routine prayers. We pray before we eat, pray before bed, pray the same prayers and call it a day. Those are important, and I’m not making fun of that, but prayer is how God’s children talk to him. We wouldn’t talk to our friends or parents that way. We talk about any/everything with close friends. We share life with them. James calls us to pray in suffering, rejoicing, and sickness, and for one another. In other words, James is saying that we ought to talk to the Lord like we would talk to our closest friend. God wants us to run to him in prayer in all of life’s ups, downs, twists, and turns. 1 Thessalonians says it like this, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, ESV). Do you pray that way?
Why does James want us to pray this way? Because prayer works! When we go before the Lord in prayer, our God is listening and is pleased that we are turning to him. We should believe that God not only hears our prayers but trust that he will answer our prayers. Jesus says in Mark 11:24, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” It’s easy to doubt that God will actually answer our prayers, but God is not a God of deception. He wouldn’t tell us to come to him in prayer if he planned to ignore us. When you pray, do you pray in faith that God will answer?
If you had to rate your prayer life on a scale of 1-10, where would it be?
What do you need to do to see that number increase?
Written By: Joe Weaver
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