James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
I needed to read a little bit of commentary on this verse. The part about confessing to each other threw me off. But now I understand this to be a way to ask others to intercede on your behalf. “Secret sin” has a way of staying secret, and if we have trusted righteous friends, they can help by praying for us- but not if we don’t share with them. We don’t necessarily need to post our sins on Facebook, but should have close trusted friends who are willing to pray for us.
Holy Lord, help me to trust my good friends to pray for me when I need support. This is not always easy. Amen
Becky, transforming
Pic by Kay
Thursday, July 25th, 2024
James 5:16
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
I believe my prayers must be truly sincere coming from my heart and not my head. Depending on the circumstance I experience a great deal of emotion in my prayers. Sometimes I may even cry. I remember my prayer times when I could absolutely feel God’s presence and than wondering what went wrong during the times when I don’t feel anything. I am still learning to give my prayer to God by faith and not be so concerned about what I did or did…
James 5:16
I really do believe and understand the power of prayer, but I have never had a prayer partner. I can’t remember the last time I asked for prayers personally. I am a pretty private person and I go directly to God when necessary. I am pretty honest with myself about my short comings. In reading this verse, I see I am doing it all wrong. Although, I know that, I don’t see myself changing anytime soon.
Prayer: Gracious God, help me realize the benefit of what James has described. Amen
James 5:16
In men’s ministries, the concept of an “accountability partner” is common and prominent. It is also scriptural as one discovers in James 5:16. The knowledge that a trusted ally is not only praying for you, but is also going to be monitoring your spiritual progress can bring discipline to your spiritual formation, if you take this relationship and it’s purpose seriously. This was a significant element in the bands (small groups) that John Wesley established in the fledgeling Methodist movement. When the bands met, the first question they addressed for each member was, “How goes it with your soul.”
Prayer - Lord, my soul wavers in fits and starts as I attempt to stay on the path of…