Prayer...Wonderfully Powerful

James 5:13-14 -   Is anyone among you suffering? He should keep on praying about it. And those who have reason to be thankful should continually be singing praises to the Lord.   Is anyone sick? He should call for the elders of the church and they should pray over him and pour a little oil upon him, calling on the Lord to heal him.

James ends his great letter with two important points.  After he reminds us of the dangers of letting material wealth control us…he spends some time restating to us the great power of prayer. Just as greed and success can tear us down…humility in prayer can open our spiritual awareness to the great power it offers to heal all aspects of our being. 

James reminds us that prayer should be a dominant part of our life. It should be our preventative measure…not just a resource for a last ditch effort.  It is the most powerful tool a Christian has in their armor to fight all kinds of issues that satan tries to use to lessen our faith. 

What is most important to remember about prayer is not what is said…but how it is said.  The simple …short sweet prayer of a toddler can be more effective than a prayer you labor over hours and word just right. God hears our heart…not our words.

I admit that some of my prayers are routine and feel stale and useless sometimes.  Other times tears flow and I can feel the spirit within me working as the words flow from my mouth. Oh that every time I lift my voice to God in prayer they would be filled with the humility of the great prophets like Elijah who controlled the rain. Or perhaps I could learn Moses’ way of prayer so I can change God’s mind with my heart.  Ultimately … complete humility learns to pray as Jesus did in the garden…knowing that God’s answer sometimes requires obedience and suffering to bring about the greater good.

Father...thank you for the reminder that prayer is my most important communication with you.  Forgive me for the times I did not spend in prayer…and let the world distract me from letting my heart speak with you continually.  Help me to keep working on the humility I need to understand and use prayer to its fullest.  Amen.