James 5:13-20

Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? 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 shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

Thought For Today:

How frequently do you modify your prayers? Do you ever discontinue praying for the same individuals and start praying for those who may be residing in a different country? Do you ever pray for the saints who are living in the jungles or foreign nations? When reading James' letter to the church, you can often find some great points. For instance, although there is much power in prayer, notice what James says here: "Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray." This makes you think, how much time are you dedicating to praying for yourself? Aren't we told, "And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me" (Psalms 50:15). I know that we are called to be intercessors for others, but how much do you pray for yourself. You know, I pray for myself, but only after I have finished praying for everyone else and all the other needs. When I do, I usually find myself like Solomon, just asking God for wisdom to deal with my situations and circumstances as well as with others. I figure that God already knows what I'm going through, and so I tell Him once what I want and need, and the rest of the time I keep thanking Him and praising Him for doing it for me. And even if He doesn't answer me the way I want, it's still worth telling Him.