The Power of Prayer

Journey through James: 5:13-18

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. — James 5:13-18

This week I was freshly reminded of the power and blessing of prayer. This Wednesday I missed a call from my sister while I was at work. I called her back, and it was one of those calls you never expect or anticipate. I don’t get a lot of calls from my sister since they live fairly close, and I don’t think either one of us is a big phone talker. Even then, I just assumed she might be calling about a family get-together or something. As soon as she started talking, I could tell this was not a normal call. She was speaking quickly and holding back tears. She told me our dad had been at the gym and that he had collapsed and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. That was all she knew and she was on her way to the hospital. I told her I would meet her there. I was in a little bit of shock. A lot of thoughts flooded through my mind. The main thought that kept coming to my mind was whether I had talked to my dad for the last time when I had talked to him on the phone on Tuesday. I quickly called Nataly and asked her to pray. Then, as I was driving to the hospital, I called Pastor Josh and asked him to be praying. He prayed for me and then reached out to others to start praying as well. I also took comfort knowing that the church prayer meeting would also take place that afternoon. So many people were praying for my dad on Wednesday afternoon. The amazing thing was that even in the uncertainty of not knowing my dad’s condition, there was comfort in prayer. Comfort in knowing that God is in control, comfort in knowing so many people were praying for him. 

To make a long story short (the ER is a pretty crazy place), my dad had a minor stroke. When we first got to see him, his speech was slurred, and he wasn’t quite right, but he was conscious. Because they got him to the hospital so quickly, they were able to get him medicine to minimize the impact of the stroke. Praise the Lord, he is doing well now and should be able to go home soon.

These verses came to mind as I was thinking about what took place. James encourages us to pray when we are suffering and when we are cheerful. On Wednesday I had the privilege of doing both. Praying in desperation and praying to rejoice. Prayer is an amazing privilege. We get to speak directly with God and He graciously listens and responds. James reminds us that Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and God worked mightily through his prayers. 

Sometimes we treat prayer as a last resort or as something inconsequential we can do because we can’t be directly involved in a situation. Nothing can be further from the truth. Prayer is powerful. This Wednesday I experienced the power of prayer. Thank you to so many of you who prayed for my dad this week. May we continue to lift one another up in prayer - it is mighty to work.

The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. - James 5:16