“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them PRAY OVER HIM, ANOINTING HIM WITH OIL in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and THE LORD WILL RAISE HIM UP. The EFFECTIVE, FERVENT prayer (energeō: put forth power, be mighty in) of a righteous man AVAILS (ischuō: to have power, to be a force) much.” (James 5:14-16)
When we say, “I’ll be praying for you,” We desire to comfort, to empathize. But what are we really saying? Are we simply offering “good thoughts” or are we PLEDGING to take these worries and concerns BEFORE OUR HEAVENLY FATHER? Is there a difference? And if so, why is prayer important? Prayer aligns our hearts with our Creator and Sustainer and can become a treasured time of personal worship. Do we long to know the mind and heart of God? The key is to BE STILL before Him “Be still and know that I AM GOD; I will be EXALTED among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalms 46:10) and to LINGER IN HIS PRESENCE.
Paul prayed this prayer to the Philippian Church, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in EVERY PRAYER of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you WILL COMPLETE IT until the day of Jesus Christ; just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, YOU ALL ARE PARTAKERS WITH ME OF GRACE.” (Philippians 1:3-7)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham