Day Twenty-Three

I have the distinct pleasure of being a part of a local church, Card Ministry, and a Wednesday morning Bible Study.  I also have an almost daily partner with whom to share a passage or two of scripture with, as well as many acquaintances on Facebook that constantly share encouraging pictures, quotes, and passages of scripture to remind all the day long of what a loving and compassionate Saviour I have.  Yes, I am the special one!  With that being said, how then can I add to the two verses shown in the picture that Jesus’ brother James wrote?  Hmn:  somehow I think we’re about to find out!

Nearly each Sunday and Wednesday evenings, prayer and praise requests are shared before the church service begins.  Pleas for loved ones who are ailing, prayers for family members who are wavering in their faith, and reminders of those in our community who are suffering loss are common.  Praises for the works Jesus is doing in lives, for healing of our members, and sometimes just for a pretty day can often be heard as well.  So, so far we are minding these verses from James.  Let me share them with you again, in case the picture’s writing is too small to see:

And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 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.

Confession.  “Confess your sins to one another,” James commands us to do.  But don’t stop there; don’t stop at the first part of the sentence and overlook the latter part.  “Pray for one another.”  

Wait a minute.  I thought we were talking about my sins, my needs, my failures.  Why would I go from confessing things about me to praying for others’ needs?  I’m the one in need of help here.

“That you may be healed.”

Ahh.  I get it.  When I take my eyes off of me, and put my heart into praying for others, I am then more like Jesus.  When I am more like Jesus, I become righteous through Him.  And then the last portion of the verse that says “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” shows what happens when Jesus steps in.  Great power happens.  The version you may be more familiar with says it this way:  “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (KJV).  My prayers become effective rather than just empty thoughts that really haven’t considered the needs of those I may be praying for.  They “avail much” which is just another way of saying that the results are fruitful.  If I’m only praying for myself and whining to others but not giving them due diligence in return, how can Jesus possibly make me better?  After all, isn’t He the One Who denied Himself so that you and I might have life, liberty, and salvation? If He did this for me, shouldn't I be doing it for others as well?

In short, when we have needs, faults, sins and confess them one to another, we are showing our humanity and our need for our Redeemer.  Then, after saying our piece and counting to three, then we start praying one for another, and we see others’ needs for a Redeemer to get them out of the messes they’ve gotten entrenched in.  We realize we’re all in the same boat and without Christ to allow us smooth sailing, then we are helpless and hapless.  By recognizing others before us, we are putting Christ first, as He taught us to.  

God is doing great things in my church.  He’s doing mighty things in my personal walk with Him.  Though I joked to my gals yesterday in BS that apparently they hadn’t been praying enough since my attitude was still a bad one all week, I had to reprimand myself and question:  “Stef, did you pray for them as much as you should have?  Did you speak to God personally on their requests or did you do a lump sum prayer and just throw their needs all together in one big heap and expect God to handle it?”  If I am not going to do my part, how dare I expect anyone else to do hers?  

“That you may be healed.”  Oh Lord, sometimes I feel so very broken.  My body seems to be falling apart and my soul?  Oh my soul, Father!  It’s tattered, bruised, and weak.  As I told Steve the other night when he was once again trying to fix me, I don’t need him to take on that responsibility.  YOU are the Healer, Lord.  But he’s human and it’s his nature--much like mine and those reading this--to want to fix things, to offer helpful solutions, to loan out self-help books and/or offer websites that tell you how to cure/mend/fix/repair and the like.  I mean, aren’t we the wise ones who know so much?  Why listen and then pray with that soul instead of using our vast knowledge and experience to correct those many blights in others?

Yeah, I know why, Lord.  We don’t want to give up control.  We want to appear strong, hip and with it, and yes, we want to save others when clearly this is not our job.  In order for someone to confess his/her faults, there needs to be someone to listen, right?  Help me, I ask, to listen.  To pat comforting taps on an arm.  And then?  Remind me to be quiet except when I then take that soul’s hand in mine and pray to You and let Your power show itself mighty.  That’s my part, Father.  May I remember it and let You do Yours as I step out of the way and watch.  These things I pray in the sweet name of Jesus Christ, my Healer, Redeemer, and Saviour.  Amen.