Mix Tape Week 3 Saturday

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. James 5:16

“I will be praying for you” many of us are quick to tell others when they express a hardship or struggle that they are facing. While this promise is given with the best intentions, most of us reading this would admit we have at times forgotten to follow through on this promise. The truth is, prayer is our means of connecting with God, talking to Him, listening to Him, and it is something to be taken seriously. Prayer allows us to talk to God and make our request to Him, allowing us to pray for others. We are commanded in Scripture to pray for each other. This includes the people we are in close relationship with, our spouses, other family members, and friends.

James takes time to talk to readers about prayer in his letter to the early church. In James 5, he calls believers to pray in all circumstances: times of joy, sadness, hardships, and sickness. Then, He calls followers of Christ to pray for each other. “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed,” James writes. This is a call for each of us to take our eyes off of ourselves and think about others, even people we have conflict with. Not only this, but Scripture teaches that praying for each other leads to healing. This does not only mean physical healing. It can mean spiritual healing as well. Perhaps praying for those we conflict with will even heal that relationship. As we pray for the other person, walls of hostility begin to come down, and God’s kindness begins to flow.

This command to pray for each other from James 5 comes with a promise: our prayers are not in vain. Look at the very end of James 5:16: “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” First, our prayers have an impact. God hears our prayers and responds to them according to His will. Not only this but there is also a second impact of our prayers: they change us as we pray. They align our will with God’s, and when we pray for others, they help us remember the people behind the conflict we are facing. They remind us that we are all just people, doing our best and softening our hearts towards them.

My friend, as we pray, we must not forget to look beyond ourselves and pray for others, even the people we are angry at or who have upset us. In our prayers, we must pray for even our enemies. As we pray for each other, God will move. He will bring healing. Who can you be praying for today?

Moving Toward Action

Spend some time praying for the people around you with whom you interact regularly. Specifically, think about three people to pray for. If you are married, be sure to include your spouse in this prayer. If there is a person with whom you are currently facing conflict, include them in this prayer as well. As you pray, thank God for these people He has placed in your life, pray for any needs you know that they have, and pray for restoration of relationships. Commit to making prayer for the people around you a part of your daily routine. As you do this, you will also find your relationships strengthening with these people as well.

Going Deeper

James 5:13-18 (NLT)