Let Them Pray

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.
(James 5:13-16)

Thought For Today:

Do you ever wonder why so many books have been written about prayer? It’s because prayer is that important. Knowing that prayers are bottled up in heaven, how big is your bottle of prayers? Just because we don't see the results we want immediately, doesn’t mean that God isn't answering us. Jesus would have never told us to ask if He wasn't going to answer. I think the key element that is often missing from our prayers is, "Thy will be done!" When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He told them once you acknowledge God, pray that His kingdom come and that His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. If you will notice, James said that if a person is afflicted, let him pray. Afflictions are a condition of great physical or mental distress, or something that causes these. Notice, that the responsibility to pray is placed upon each of us to pray for our own afflictions and to keep ourselves happy. But if we are sick, we should call for the elders of the church to anoint and pray for us. I believe that if we get into the habit of praying before the storm, we'll get through the storm so much easier when it comes.