Do you ask people to pray for you?  Or are you the type to just take that matter into your own hands and pray for yourself?  You would just assume that people not know what is really going on behind the scenes of your life.  If you do ask someone to pray, it is usually you asking on behalf of someone else.  You ask people to pray for a friend or co-worker or family member, but not for me.  Why is that?  You might say that you do ask people to pray for you.  You have no problem asking for yourself.  What is that prayer like?  What might it consist of?  Maybe you need a job?  Maybe you have a doctor’s appointment or have tests coming up and of course you would like people to pray for you?  Maybe you are going to be taking a trip and you would like to ask people to pray for your safety?  That all makes sense.  But do you ask people to really pray for you?  I mean really pray?  

I was reading in James 5 Tuesday morning and James starts to talk about prayer in verse 13.  He starts out by asking “Is any one of you in trouble?”  Another version says “Is anyone among you suffering?”  What kind of trouble?  What kind of suffering?  He doesn’t tell us, but what he does say is that we should pray.  Interesting that he does not tell us to tell everyone about it and let them know what you are going through.  He says to pray.  We are always more prone to let everyone know all about our aches and pains.  We want to let everyone know how tough our life is and how difficult our job is.  I was talking to my mother-in-law on Monday and she was telling me about a couple of doctor’s appointments that she has coming up.  I love my mother-in-law.  She is a godly woman.  She said to me “well Jerry, I have told you enough about my problems and I’m sorry to keep you so long.”  I said to her “mom, I have found that I have reached the age where doctors appointments and medical issues seem to be at the center of all a lot of my conversations.”  We talk about our aches and pains.  You do too!  Think about it!  There is nothing wrong with that, but what is wrong is when we talk to everyone else about it before ever talking to God about it.  Prayer is talking to God.  James says if you are in trouble or if you are suffering, talk to God,.  

He goes on to say that if you are sick that you ought to call on the elders to pray over you and anoint you with oil in the name of the Lord.  Some like to interpret the oil to be a medicine of some type, but I don’t think that is what it is saying.  We must remember that prayer is not only for the benefit of the one who is being prayed for, but also the benefit of the one who is praying.  I believe that this entire process is symbolic of the healing power of the Holy Spirit and the act of doing this is symbolizing everyone’s committing this person and their healing to God Himself.  You are to do it in the name of the Lord while at the same time submitting to and trusting His will.  This is a serious matter that involves the confession of sin and God’s forgiveness.

This next verse is where the rubber meets the road.  Verse 16 tells us “Therefore, (or because of what I just said) confess your sins to one another…”  NOPE!  I am not going to do that.  Why not?  Because that person will probably go and tell everyone else about it and it is none of their business.  Sad, but probably true.  Someone once told me “Public sins are to be confessed publicly and private sins are to confessed privately.”  I think that is a pretty good idea.  Imagine you and your wife getting into a fight on Saturday night and then she comes to church the next morning and tells everyone what happened the night before and how she retaliated?  “I need to apologize for putting Ex-lax in his pastry this morning.”  That will not fly!  The passage goes on to say that after you have confessed to each other you are then to pray for each other.  After you confess, do you pray?  If you are like 99% of the rest of the families in our church,(and you are) you come to church every Sunday with baggage.  You don’t need to tell me about your baggage because I know you have some.  It does not mean that we are to open up that baggage and show what is inside.  Perhaps sometimes you might want to do it and you might need to do it.  But when someone comes up to you and asks how you are doing we often say “I’m good, all good.”  Maybe you are, but many times you are not.  Have you ever said to someone, “I am really struggling right now, and man I sure would appreciate you praying for me”?  They don’t need the details, they just need to know that you will pray for them.  God knows the details.  The only reason anyone would need to know the details is if they were going to share it with someone else.  God knows the details!  The prayer would go something like this:  “God I do not know what Jerry is dealing with, You do.  I am just asking that You would make Your presence known to him in a special way right now, and that You would keep me on my knees on his behalf.”  Can you imagine what that might do for Jerry?  You don’t have to imagine.  James tells us that “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”  If you care, pray!!!  Imagine what your prayer for Jerry might do for you?  To see God move and do a work in Jerry’s life is not only powerful and effective on Jerry’s behalf but also on yours.  You watched God work as you prayed.  

Imagine if we all took seriously the opportunity and responsibility to pray for one another.  What might God do?  How might He use your prayers?  What if you were to ask God to use Jerry to clearly preach and teach His Word with power and a filling of the Spirit?  What if we were to ask God to do a work in our church as He did in the early church and then watch Him add to our number?  Not for our praise but for His glory!  When is the last time that you asked God to convict the hearts of people at the proclamation of His Word and to do a work in NWBC?  Pray for one another!  Pray for me!  Pray that God would protect me from the attacks of the evil one.  Pray that God would not allow me to grow discouraged but to remain faithful in the responsibility that He has given to me.  Ask God to protect our marriage.  Ask God to give Robbi the grace and strength that she needs as she works Monday thru Friday from 6:30 in the morning until 7 or 8:00 in the evening.  Ask others how you might pray for them and then do it!  Pray for one another!  Please, pray for one another!  There are those who receive this newsletter every week and never open it so they will not get this message.  If this has spoken to you, would you consider calling someone who God lays on your heart and ask them if they read the newsletter this week and then ask them how you can pray for them?  If they have not read it, encourage them to do so, and then pray for them.

Please know that Robbi and I continue to pray for each of you by name.  If we can be of any help to any of you, please do not hesitate to let us know.  As we pray for you, would you please pray us and for one another?

Blessings,
Jerry