New Hope Oahu - Scripture Songs 11 Day DevotionalSample

"Praise and Prayer"

SCRIPTURE: 

James 5: 13-20 (NLT)

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.
 

19 My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, 20 you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.
 

OBSERVATION: 

Verses 13-18 are entitled "The Power of Prayer". They tell us that no matter the circumstances in our lives, we need to communicate with God. They also tell us to communicate with each other. We're here to pray for one another and to hold each other accountable (not judge) for our actions. When we do what is right and are sincere, our prayers are unbelievably powerful. We're even given an example of how one of the most amazing prophets drastically changed circumstances with his prayer to encourage us.
 

Verses 19-20 urge us to bring people back to God who have turned away from Him, thus saving them from death and the devil.
 

APPLICATION:

As a military wife, it can be a little hard for me to share my shortcomings with people. Every few years I move to a new place, a new church with new people, and have to build new relationships. I like meeting new people, but what I don't particularly like is sharing deeply personal details of my life. I don't want someone to try use what I share with them against me.  Obviously when there are people that I trust and have a relationship with it makes it a lot easier for me to open up to them, but you can't trust someone or be trusted without someone first opening up a little. So I have to remember that as we share our shortcomings: 
 

1) We show vulnerability. This helps me remember how imperfect we all are. No matter how long a person has been a Christian or what position they have in the church, everybody makes mistakes and falls short at some point and needs God's grace and forgiveness. Also showing vulnerability makes it easier for others to show their vulnerability.
 

2) We learn ways to help each other stay on the right path. When we know each other's weaknesses we can offer specific encouragement and advice to keep each other from straying away.
 

3) We grow closer together. Sharing such intimate details of our lives will inevitably build trust and strengthen relationships. 
 

PRAYER: 
Dear God, Please help me to be honest and open with my friends and help them to be honest and open with me. Help me to continue to build healthy Christian relationships. And if I see a brother or sister slipping off of the path of righteousness help me to not look the other way. Please give me the courage to say something and the right words to get through to them.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Doulesha McCormick