“Therefore, confess you 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.” James 5:16 (NIV)
I’m getting tired of looking at that image. You know the one.
Usually it’s a gray sphere, with little burgundy
colored spikes sticking out all around it. It looks like one of those rubbery, squishy "stress balls" that we squeeze to relieve stress. But this one is bound to cause stress rather than relieve it, and it's the last thing you’d want in your hand.
It’s public enemy number 1, the novel covid-19 corona virus.
How could something that resembles a flower be so deadly?
I’ve joined the rest of the world on an emotional roller
coaster. I’m trying to be levelheaded, to get current information, and to make
decisions based on available facts. My hopes will rise, and I’ll think: It
won’t be that bad. It’s not any worse than the flu. But moments later I’ll
hear the latest statistics or predictions, and my faith will plummet. If I allow
my thoughts to dwell on the crisis, my stomach begins doing somersaults.
Like most other citizens of the world, I’m looking for ways
to prevent the spread of the virus. So I’m doing the hand-washing/social
distancing/ staying at home thing. But despite all the precautions, it’s hard
to fight an invisible enemy, and I know so many things are beyond my control.
But I know I can pray.
And I don’t view prayer as a last resort, but as a first
line of defense.
No, God doesn’t take orders from me or give me everything I
ask for. But the Bible is very specific: when we are suffering, God tells us to
pray.
“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone
cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the
elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the
name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will
raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your
trespasses to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The
effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:13-16 (NKJV)
We need to pray.
And we need to confess our trespasses to one another. In
other words, if we’ve offended someone, we need to ask forgiveness. God calls
us to come to him with humble, penitent, pure hearts, recognizing our need for
him.
I’d be lying if I said that everyone I’ve prayed for has been
healed on this earth. There are people for whom I’ve prayed fervently, yet God still took them home. God, in his infinite wisdom, always does
what’s best.
And we know that if Jesus doesn’t come back first, we’ll all
have a close encounter with the Grim Reaper. (Morbid thought, I know.)
But I know that in the past God has extended a person’s life
in answer to prayer. He did that with Hezekiah. Hezekiah was dying, and he
prayed, and God allowed him to live another 15 years. ( You can read his story in II
Kings 20.) Prayer made a difference.
I can recall a time when prayer made a difference for me.
Years ago I was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. Stage
three meant that cancerous cells were found in the lymph nodes, ready to spread
to other organs. Yet when the surgeon removed 30-some lymph nodes along with
the cancerous tumor, all the lymph nodes were clear. Successful pre-surgery
chemotherapy and radiation? Maybe. Coincidence?
Luck? I don’t think so. The elders of the church prayed for me before the surgery. Friends and family prayed for me. I prayed. And God heard.
And since God has allowed me to live a little longer on this earth, I'm going to use my time to declare the wonderful things he's done.
And since God has allowed me to live a little longer on this earth, I'm going to use my time to declare the wonderful things he's done.
“I shall not die, but live,
And declare the works of the Lord.” Psalm
118:17 (NKJV)
James wants us to know that
God responds to our prayers.
“Elijah was a man with a
nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did
not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and
the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.” James 5:17-18 (NKJV)
Prayer changes things.
It changes me. It aligns my desires to his desires, my will to his will. It provides a peace that is beyond anything I could produce on my own.
It changes me. It aligns my desires to his desires, my will to his will. It provides a peace that is beyond anything I could produce on my own.
Next time I see a picture of that squishy
ball on the TV or computer screen, I’m going to remind myself that prayer is
the ultimate stress reliever. It is powerful and effective because it connects
us with our all-powerful God who is still on his throne and still in control. And I'm going to pray.
Because prayer makes a difference.
Here’s a link to Jaci
Velasquez singing “I Get on my Knees.”
