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. James 5:16 NIV
We come to Christ at different times in our lives. Some come to him after trying other options; some came to him early in the lives as he was all they heard about. Some came to know him because of the issues they had in their lives, but whatever the reason may be why I came to God, He receives me without judgment or criticism. His love is such that I can embrace without fear. I can't hold on to my past life like a trophy, but I must be willing to let go of the past and embrace the new life I have come into. I am now a member of the largest family on earth: the family of God. For all who are washed and saved by the blood of Jesus, welcome to the family of God.
Like all families, we may not all come to fully realise our potential all at once. There are gifts available to all members of God's family, but sometimes, it takes time to fully develop. There are situations that arise in a family that we may not fully understand on this side of eternity, such as sickness and death, but there is one thing that is clear: no matter what happens to a member of God's family, there is a response prescribed by God. I may not fully understand the WHY behind the WHAT that happens to me, but I can sort out HOW I respond. That is the context in which today's extract is set.
When trouble comes, I am asked to pray. If there is a cause to be happy, I am asked to sing songs of praise. If sickness comes, I am asked to bring in the elders, who will pray and anoint in Jesus' name. Let's not forget: today's extract is addressed to brethren: people sharing common allegiance by faith to Jesus Christ. I could take the position that as a Christian, bad things must not happen to me, or I could take the position that no matter what comes, God has a prescription that can take care of whatever it is that comes. Whatever position I take, it comes from my understanding of who I am in Christ and what his will for my life is.
With this information and understanding, I approach today's extract with joy. By myself, and in conjunction with others like myself, there is access to power, the type that the world cannot understand. Even when I do wrong, there is power in my family to set me right. If I sin, I have access to prayers and support to set me right. I am not left to my own devices, or condemned to damnation. My family will help me, pray for me, hold me up. There is healing and strength available in that family. It is also important to note that just as I would have access to these blessings in my family, so is it expected of me, being a member of that family, to also extend the same grace to other people. I cannot lay claim to support from my family when I need it, and then turn around and condemn other people in my family, simply because they seem to fall into a 'more terrible' sin. Who measures the severity of one sin? If the blood of Jesus can't cleanse from all sin, then no one has the right to claim salvation.
That is why we must confess our faults to one another. There is no room for pride or self-sufficiency. That is why we must pray for one another. We all have struggles; the fact that God has given you grace in one area of life is evidence that you can help another person who still struggles in that area. It also means that it is another person's grace that will supply what is lacking in mine. That is the beauty of God's family: each part supplying what the other part needs. It is not just for us to share struggles, but to also support one another in prayer. Prayer is the tool God uses to change people. He may not always change the times and situations, but if he is able to change me, he is able to impact times and situations. That is the power of prayer.
I don't pray because I am perfect; I pray so I can access all of God's resources. I am not righteous because I know how to pray. I am righteous because God imputes to me his nature, power and grace. I rely on that grace on a daily basis. I can never outgrow my need of that power. No matter what I become, I know it is as a result of the grace of God upon my life. So, I pray. I am not sufficient in or by myself, but my sufficiency is of God. It is that understanding that gives prayer the power it has, because it is backed up by the greatest power in the world. God changes people and things, and it is prayer that gives him the platform to do so. If I will see changes in my family and the world in general, I must pray. Nothing else will work, or guarantee you the same results as prayer. God has laid it out; all I can do is access it all by prayer. God's time of favour is here.
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