James 5:13-20 (NRSV)
Read James 5:13-20 on biblegateway.com
Verse 13Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Verse 14Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. Verse 15The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Verse 16Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. Verse 17Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Verse 18Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest. Verse 19My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, Verse 20you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner's soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
Devotion
At the ending of James, the author commends the power of prayer in the Christian community. I have been blessed to have two women pray for me in my time as a pastor. These righteous ladies’ prayers have been powerful and effective. I miss the guidance of Elaine, who died in 2020. The other woman, Ilene, started praying for me about fifteen years ago, even when she had never met me. It was amazing to finally meet her. Ilene often refers to God as “Daddy.” Last week when we had Bible study at her apartment, she told me that “Daddy” told her to especially keep me in prayer this week. She was spot on because I was “standing in the need of prayer.”
Could you or someone you know become a prayer “warrior” for your community of faith—for church leaders, pastors, or those on a prayer list? It would be a blessing.
Prayer
Dear “Daddy,” thank you for all those who are devoted to praying for others. Their faithfulness is greatly appreciated. Amen.
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