THURSDAY 01 July 2021 “Prayer power” James 5:13, 14

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Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends on this the first day of a new month . . . July! Wow, already the year 2021 is 1/2 gone, my how time is flying!

I love summer, how about you, my friends all around the world? When I lived in the frozen northlands of long winters, oh my how summers, without snow, ice and cold, were so welcome! When I was younger and in school, or for the years I worked in a business closely tied to the school calendar, oh my how I loved summers! For the past 25 years or so I’ve looked at the 100 days between the end of May & beginning of September as a time for personal spiritual renewal! I’ve looked for new books to read, new Scripture to memorize, new spiritual patterns to develop. I wonder what summers have meant for you and what is significant for you about this particular summer as we try to emerge from a COVID pandemic year ?

We’ve been walking a journey lately with James, the 1/2 brother of Jesus as we’ve worked through the little letter he wrote a few years after Jesus returned to heaven. Today let’s consider this powerful phrase James writes: “Is any one of you in trouble? You should pray. Is anyone happy? Then sing songs of praise to God! Is any one of you sick? You should call the elders of the church to pray over you and anoint you with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.” (James 5: 13-15) Now those are some powerful statements, aren’t they? If true, they could be life changing, couldn’t they? What is your initial reaction to them? Is James talking about some special, miraculous, anointing oil? Where do we buy some of that?

As we read the accounts of what people like you and me experienced in the weeks, months and years following the departure of Jesus back to heaven, I wonder what most amazes you? Is it the occasional miracles, or their courage in the face of persecution, or the power of the Holy Spirit, or the power of prayer, or the unity they experienced, even though they were widely diverse groups of people? Did you notice what James wrote to these Jesus followers, scattered all across the Roman Empire, in times of great persecution? I would assume almost EVERYONE, who heard James’ letter read, nodded their heads in agreement, when it came to these verses! Everyone was in some type of trouble! People were sick often and there was little good medical care available, and what was available was ancient by our standards today. Life was difficult, and life expectancy was short. Do you see James’ instructions… PRAY! Now, what do you think about that my friends? Honestly now, what is the significance of “pray” in your city, your family, your heritage, your church, your daily life?

“Is anyone in trouble? They should pray!.. Is anyone sick? They should call the elders…and pray!” Do you think perhaps the word PRAY meant something different in those days, to those people, living in desperate times? I wonder if you remember that the accounts of the life of Jesus that we have in the Bible, record for us that the Disciples only asked Jesus to teach them to do one thing? No, they never asked Jesus to teach them how to walk on water, or feed thousands of people with a few biscuits and minnows, nor how to heal blind people so they could see, or make lame people walk. And they never asked Jesus to teach them how to raise dead people back to life, even though they watched Jesus do that three times, remember? Lazarus, the brother of Mary & Martha, (John 11) the widow’s son in the village of Nain, (Luke 6) and Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8). The disciples only asked Jesus to teach them to do ONE thing, that they watched Him do. Luke records it like this: “One day, when Jesus was finished praying, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray...” (Luke 11:1)

What follows that, both in Matthew’s account and Luke’s is what we call ‘the Lord’s prayer’. But may I suggest to you my friends, Jesus was NOT giving them a template for prayer and expecting them to recite it or even follow that pattern each time they prayed? Matthew gives us quite a bit more detail in what Jesus said: “and when you pray do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen… And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard by their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father in heaven knows what you need, even before you ask Him!” (Matt. 6:5-8) Oh my, I love Jesus’ instructions here! Have you encountered that type of public, showmanship praying? People who preach a sermon, or tell long stories when they pray, as though God is uniformed or needs guidance as to what to do about a situation? Or maybe God needs the details repeated over and over?

When you read the life story of Jesus, almost always when Jesus needed time with His heavenly Father for prayer, He got AWAY from the crowds, even away from His closest friends, so He could meet with God in private! Both what Jesus had to say to God and what Jesus was listening to hear from God, was best accomplished in quiet places alone with God! (Matt. 14:22,23; 26:36-42; Mark 1:35-39; Luke 6:12,13; John 17) Now think about that a moment… has that been your prayer experience? Who has helped you develop your prayer practice? How similar is it to Jesus’ prayer life? May I recommend a little book to you about this? Oh, it has helped me so much. It’s titled “Experiencing Prayer with Jesus” and the author is Henry Blackaby.

Do you notice James does NOT instruct us about what to say in our times of prayer when we are in trouble or sick? James doesn’t tell us WHERE or WHEN or HOW we should pray. Why not? May I ask you a question or two? Think about your best friend, the person you most want to talk with and hear from, when you are in trouble, or sick, or frightened, or in despair. Now, do you need someone instructing you on when, where and how to talk with that best friend in those desperate times, or would some outsider to be an intrusion in your time of soul bearing, private conversation with your best friend? There it is my friends, that’s the secret to effective, powerful, personal, dynamic PRAYER! The secret is relationship… best friend relationship with Jesus!

Why did Moses hike up rugged Mount Sinai 8 times in the desert heat to meet with God when he was in great need of God’s help? Relationship! He and God had developed such a close, intimate, powerful relationship, Moses could spend 40 days and nights without food, and be fully immersed in conversation with God!! (Exodus 34:28) Why did Daniel get away from his responsibilities with the King three times each day, get down on his knees, open his window and pray? (Daniel 6:10) Because if Daniel was going to advise the most powerful world leader, Daniel needed wisdom that could come only from God…daily! And out of that powerful relationship between Daniel & God, came the confidence for Daniel to be thrown into a den of hungry lions, fully trusting God would be with him, and talk him through that night.

You see my friends, James is saying… PRAYER should be like breathing for an authentic follower of Jesus Christ, who holds tightly to the truth that every day of their life, every aspect of their life, is safe in the hand of God! Remember Jesus said to a group of skeptics one day: “The miracles I do in My Father’s name speak for Me, but you do not believe because you are not My sheep. My sheep listen to My voice; I know them and they follow Me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and the Father are one!” (John 10:26-30) Do you hear Jesus saying HIS followers, people who have trusted their lives to Jesus, should feel fully confident, every day, in every situation, that they are SAFE in the hand of God, and that Jesus will guide them through their situation if they will LISTEN for His voice!?

Have you noticed God rarely SHOUTS! Almost always God speaks quietly, softly, almost a whisper. Why? So you have to listen hard, clearing away all the distracting clutter, to lean in and hear God’s voice speaking to you, guiding you, counseling you, helping you, encouraging you, strengthening you, and yes…even challenging or convicting you! So… have you developed that ability with God yet? Quiet time with God. Oh and consider this… even if you could talk with God all day long, you wouldn’t begin to come close to giving Him all the information He already has ABOUT YOU and your situation in life! God knows FAR MORE about you, your past, your present and your future… so watch this my friends, PRAYER is far more about LISTENING to God than it is about TALKING to God! That’s part of why Jesus got away from the noise…so He could HEAR His Father’s guidance.

I think we should stop right here, giving both you and me time to think, reflect, and time to find a quiet place to meet with God…especially to keep developing our listening! I enjoy searching for songs that fit with our reflections and God’s Word. God speaks to us through His music doesn’t He? This song, “Speak to My Heart”, comes to us out of the Black church in America. Invite the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart my friends as you listen and pray…

Today’s Scripture is James 5:13, 14.

Choose below to read or listen.

Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

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