James 5:13–20 ¹³ Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. ¹⁴ Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. ¹⁸ Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. ¹⁹ My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, ²⁰ remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Never underestimate the power of prayer. James tells us “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” Those who have been declared righteous because they believe in Christ Jesus will be heard by him when they make their requests. You live with the assurance that God hears the cries of His faithful children and answers in the way that is best for everyone.

I’ve mentioned before that we temporarily have two of our grandchildren – and their parents – living with us while waiting for their new home to be built. That means most evenings we get to participate in bedtime prayers with those grandchildren. The faith of a child is a wonderful thing to behold. They remind us how simple it is to ask God for anything, to talk to Him about everything, and they have no doubt that God is listening and will hear them. Lord, give us such a faith as this…

Perhaps it is good to mention that prayer is for our benefit, not God’s. He doesn’t need our prayers, but we need Him. And He invites us to pray with the certainty that He will hear us:

1 John 5:14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

Lord, teach us to pray.