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The Power of Prayer
13*Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14*Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15*Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.
16*Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17*Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18*Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.
Tyndale House Publishers. (2004). Holy Bible : New Living Translation. (2nd ed.). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.
I have a commentary open parallel to my bible and at the end of the commentary, the Author added these important Questions:
We end our study, then, on the highest of all notes—the glorious work of Jesus. But we must not leave James without thinking again about some of the key points which we have studied. Warren Wiersbe summarizes those points by urging each Christian to ask him- or herself a series of probing questions:
1. Am I becoming more and more patient in the testings of life?
2. Do I play with temptation or resist it from the start?
3. Do I find joy in obeying the Word of God, or do I merely study it and learn it?
4. Are there any prejudices that shackle me?
5. Am I able to control my tongue?
6. Am I a peacemaker rather than a troublemaker? Do people come to me for spiritual wisdom?
7. Am I a friend of God or a friend of the world?
8. Do I make plans without considering the will of God?
9. Am I selfish when it comes to money? Am I unfaithful in the paying of my bills?
10. Do I naturally depend on prayer when I find myself in some kind of trouble?
11. Am I the kind of person others seek for prayer support?
12. What is my attitude toward the wandering brother? Do I criticize and gossip, or do I seek to restore him in love?
Having posed these questions, Wiersbe winds up his commentary with this exhortation: ‘Don’t just grow old—grow up!’5
May God himself help us to do so!
Ellsworth, R. (2009). Opening up James (169–170). Leominster: Day One Publications.
13*Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14*Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15*Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.
16*Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17*Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18*Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.
Tyndale House Publishers. (2004). Holy Bible : New Living Translation. (2nd ed.). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.
I have a commentary open parallel to my bible and at the end of the commentary, the Author added these important Questions:
We end our study, then, on the highest of all notes—the glorious work of Jesus. But we must not leave James without thinking again about some of the key points which we have studied. Warren Wiersbe summarizes those points by urging each Christian to ask him- or herself a series of probing questions:
1. Am I becoming more and more patient in the testings of life?
2. Do I play with temptation or resist it from the start?
3. Do I find joy in obeying the Word of God, or do I merely study it and learn it?
4. Are there any prejudices that shackle me?
5. Am I able to control my tongue?
6. Am I a peacemaker rather than a troublemaker? Do people come to me for spiritual wisdom?
7. Am I a friend of God or a friend of the world?
8. Do I make plans without considering the will of God?
9. Am I selfish when it comes to money? Am I unfaithful in the paying of my bills?
10. Do I naturally depend on prayer when I find myself in some kind of trouble?
11. Am I the kind of person others seek for prayer support?
12. What is my attitude toward the wandering brother? Do I criticize and gossip, or do I seek to restore him in love?
Having posed these questions, Wiersbe winds up his commentary with this exhortation: ‘Don’t just grow old—grow up!’5
May God himself help us to do so!
Ellsworth, R. (2009). Opening up James (169–170). Leominster: Day One Publications.