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God calls us to be people who pray, serve with our gifts, and live wisely.

Listen

If any of you are suffering, they should pray. If any of you are happy, they should sing. If any of you are sick, they should call for the elders of the church, and the elders should pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. Prayer that comes from faith will heal the sick, for the Lord will restore them to health. And if they have sinned, they will be forgiven. For this reason, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous person is powerful in what it can achieve.

James 5:13-16

Think

The book of James is full of very practical wisdom about a Jesus-following life and concludes with words about the importance of prayer. Prayer should be a part of our lives in the midst of suffering, happy times, sickness, and our sins. There’s some mystery to prayer. It’s hard to determine how it “works,” but prayer seems to change the world or the one who prays – and often both. Healing is just as mysterious as prayer and often takes many different forms when it happens. But James is clear: prayer should surround everything we do.

Prayer also can’t be separated from life in community. We should pray for one another. Prayer will shape our “together-ness” to include even confessing to one another and caring for the sick among us. Prayer binds us deeply to God and one another. It flows out of who we are and also ends up changing who we are and how we live with others in this world.

Prayer is a powerful gift – how are you making it a part of your life?

Chris Cash

Pray

Faithful God, may my prayers flow out of all the times and moods of my life. May my prayers draw me closer to you and to others. May my prayers change the lives of others as well as my own. Amen.

Go

May you go to live a life of wisdom, prayer, and service to others.