Healing!

Healing!

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

The Context and Focus:

James, writing to the Jews who had been scattered among the nations due to persecution and harassment, was reminding his audience about the power of prayer. Prayer must not be confused with grumbling and complaining; prayer is a personal acknowledgement of the power, authority and ability of the person you are praying to, and also asking for His help and intervention on particular matters. Definitions of prayer available online include 'a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or another deity'. Or another: 'an act of communication by humans with the sacred or holy—God, the gods, the transcendent realm, or supernatural powers'. For our own purpose, we will focus on the God who is the One true God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, who has made man in His own image, and seeks communion and fellowship with man. You can't seek help from someone who is equally in need of help as you are, unless God, who is the Help, sends you to the person. This is why the community of believers is the best place for a man to be. This is where the divine is available to the mortal. 

The Message:

How else can we explain the power behind confession of sin to other like-minded believers, which will then lead to healing? How does this work? I believe that God's grace and mercy flow unhindered when there is no sin in the camp. I recall how the actions of Achan at Jericho led to loss for Israel, and the destruction of the entire family of Achan. That is the destructive power of sin, but from the verse above, we see the restorative power of confession, forgiveness and mercy, and then prayers made in faith. All of them go together, and you cannot ask God to move or intervene in a matter where there is strife, conflict, bitterness, hatred and malice. As we confess to one another, we run the risk of being vulnerable, but we also enjoy the blessings that come from a heart free from the burden of sin. That is how and when God can move. Confession is our trust in the ability and capacity of God to cleanse and give a fresh, new start, and prayer is the key that gives us access to the limitless riches of God's grace. 

The Conclusion:

It is important to pray. There is really nothing else that moves God's hand to do mighty things than the earnest prayers of his own children. Just after this verse, we read of a man like Elijah, who, by prayer, shut up the heavens and rain did not fall for three and a half years. He prayed again, and the rain fell. Joshua commanded the sun to stand still, and the sun delayed going down by a full day, until Israel overcame its enemies. God has not changed, because he is still the same through all generations. The same God who heard Joshua and Elijah, also heard Daniel. He also heard his son as he prepared for the cross, and we now have access to the same throne of grace. The resources have been made available, for free. I note the word 'righteous man' in the verse above. That is the qualification required to gain access. It has nothing to do with human ability, influence or networth, but simply by the finished work of Christ on the cross, which imputes righteousness. That is all I need. Would I then take advantage of what God has provided? God's time of favour is here.