Pray In All Circumstances

Chuckle: "No, the handle on your recliner does not qualify as an exercise machine."

Quote: "The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays." --Soren Kierkegaard

PRAY IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES (James 5:13-18)

"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise . . . Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man (person) is powerful and effective" (James 5:13, 16 NIV).

God didn't give all of us the ability to sing beautifully. He never intended for all of us to preach. He never intended for us to have the same spiritual gifts. But one thing He intended for every believer to do is pray. Prayer can change your life and the world around you. We can sing and we can preach without the power of God, but when we get alone with God to pray, we can't do it in a meaningful way without His power.

James was a man of prayer. He talks about it in Chapter 1, Chapter 4, and here in chapter 5. The main thrust of this passage is the power of prayer and its appropriateness in every life situation. It is said that James became known as "camel knees" because his knees became hard and calloused from spending so much time in prayer. I venture to say none of us prays as we should.

"Eight-ninths of the bulk of an iceberg is below the waterline and out of sight. Only one-ninth is visible above the water's surface. Our prayer-life should be like an iceberg, with about one prayer out of nine being in public group prayer and eight-ninths out of sight in our private prayer time."

When we dip our cup in the ocean of prayer, we come up with more than a cup full of blessing. Nancy Speigelberg put it this way: "Lord I crawled across the barrenness to you with my empty cup, uncertain in asking any small drop of refreshment. If only I had known you better I'd have come running with a bucket."

All situations call for prayer -- whether we are experiencing happiness, trouble, or sickness. However, prayer never is a means by which God can be manipulated into doing my will. Faithful disciples accept God's answer to prayer whatever it may be. The same God that created all things, died, and rose again, will listen to you and to me. He will respond as we talk together with Him in faith. This miraculous provision from God himself grants us the privilege of talking and listening to the Almighty God of the universe in the name of Jesus. Wow!!

Love, Jerry & Dotse