Today’s Encouragement is James 5:16 NLT 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.
Earnest prayer-
Note the different aspects of this passage. Beginning with Confession to others… and praying for each other. It’s good to confess my friends, honesty is cleansing, humbling, strengthening. When we trust another person with the truth of our own sinful nature, we begin to release the bonds of shame. It is important to be wise and confess only to a very trusted person of course… but confession is important to our healing.
Once true confession is done, the next step is praying for one another… so that you may be healed! Healing is the outcome of confession and prayer. Notice too this is praying for each other, not having a ‘holy person’ praying for us ‘poor confessing sinners’ but praying – together. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, we are equal in that sense, and praying for each other has power and validity.
Next, comes Earnest prayer, which would clearly imply sincerity, honesty, openness, determination, focus, and clarity. We aren’t seeking perfect prayer, but rather truthful prayer. God knows everything, so if we’re not earnest in prayer, it’s obvious to Him!
Finally, a righteous person is a believer, one who genuinely trusts God will hear and answer this prayer, who is confident that, because of the intense and miraculous relationship between God and all His children, that He turns His face toward His praying child and listens intently and responds in love and wisdom.
And all our prayer, my friends, should end with the phrase which Jesus modeled for us, “nevertheless not my will but Yours be done”.
Father teach us to pray earnestly. Not so that we can have what we pray for, but that our relationship with You is as strong as it can possibly be.
On my Knees
Jaci Velasquez
Today’s Encouragement 