“Is any of you in trouble or hurting? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” James 5:13-18
Add’l Lectionary readings: Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22; Psalm 124; James 5:13-20; Mark 9:38-50
The passage from James reminded me anew of the power of connecting with God through prayer. The power of prayer is positively overwhelming. I have felt the comfort and reduction of anxiety when others have prayed for me. I have felt the reassuring presence of God in my heart when I have prayed. I have seen my patients visibly relax and begin to heal when they have been prayed for. I know that prayer connects us as we sing and as we worship, also. So why is it not more of a priority? Why isn’t prayer the first thing I think of rather than the 3rd or 4th?
I think one of the answers is that we operate too frequently under a false assumption that we can control the situation on our own. It is a habit that I have great difficulty in breaking. But, when I step out of the way, God has room to become my center—my guide. When I surrender myself to God, He fills me with the confidence of His control and I can begin to discern His plan.
The passage from James also helped me recall the story of Elijah. I have had the privilege of singing all and parts of the oratorio “Elijah” by Mendelssohn. One of my favorite passages is in a trio “Lift Thine Eyes”—“Lift thine eyes to the mountains, whence cometh help. Thy help cometh from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” This trio is followed by a wonderful chorus: “He watching over Israel, slumbers not nor sleeps.” We need not worry whether God is listening or available to our prayers, He desires the connection with us no matter the hour or circumstance. The “glitches” we experience in connecting with God are usually on our end of the line, not God’s.
James also gives us another key to the power of prayer. It is that faith can make all the difference. Praying for each other believing that God will answer the prayer according to God’s rich tapestry of a plan changes the perspective of the prayer. We relinquish the selfishness of the prayer when we pray that God will provide according to God’s plan. Faith is the ingredient that helps us wait for an answer, to allow the plan to unfold, to understand an answer to prayer that is different from what we expected, and to open our hearts and minds to actually listen for the answer. Great and glorious words are not required. Special places, lighting, times or circumstances are not needed. One need not study or secure any advanced education to begin the conversation. God requires that we just ask (and it will be given), seek
(and we will find) and to knock (and the door will be opened).
Dear Great and Wonderful Provider of All Things: We ask today that you grant us the faith needed to begin our quest for you through prayer. We ask that you help us to surrender our faulty will to Your divine plan and deliverance. We also ask that you continue to guide us to more open two-way communication. Help us to listen more and talk less. Help us to pray more often and to make prayer a priority and center of our daily walk. We pray for all these things knowing that we are unworthy. We thank you for this magnificent connection and always for your loving care. Amen.
Chyrl Budd
P.S. I also recommend that you read the whole book of Esther. It won’t take long and it will be a blessing to you. She was a brave and faithful servant of God.
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