Is anyone among you suffering? He must pray. Is anyone joyful? He is to sing praises [to God].  Is anyone among you sick? He must call for the elders (spiritual leaders) of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will restore 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 [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].  Elijah was a man with a nature like ours [with the same physical, mental, and spiritual limitations and shortcomings], and he prayed intensely for it not to rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.  Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its crops [as usual].  James 5:13-18

The word pray (or prayer) is used 7 times in this short passage, remembering that 7 is the perfect number, and also that anytime something is repeated like that in the Bible makes it pretty important, we should realize from these six verses that prayer is very important!  There is power when we stop & realize that we have no power in a situation unless we take it to God.  This passage tells us the prayer of a righteous man (a believer, (that is what makes us righteous, our faith in Christ)) can accomplish much!  We don’t really get that though, I think.  We put prayer in this box that we have to “check off” & then go on about our business, but prayer is so much more!  Yes first & foremost it is how we bond with our Lord & Savior, but prayer is also how we can bring Kingdom change into our world that we live in!  Whether that be leading someone to Christ, or just planting the seed to be later harvested by someone else or if we are praying for healing for someone who is sick, or comfort for those in emotional pain.  All these situations can & will be affected by the prayer of the righteous, if we will just believe in what we pray.  I know you’re asking what I mean by believing in what we pray…  well believing that God is who He says He is (For I am the Lord who heals you.  Exodus 15:26), second believing that Christ took away our pain (And by His stripes (wounds) we are healed.  Isaiah 53:5), third knowing that if He says it in His word we can count on it to be ours!  We all know healing is not just physical, it is mental & emotional as well, & God knows that too, He made every intricate detail about us, so He knows we need more then just one thing.  But prayer is not just for healing, God wants to provide for us in every way, (You do not have because you do not ask [it of God].  James 4:2) this doesn’t mean selfishly,  James warns us about that in the next verse, but when you do ask for something make sure you believe that God will do it because James 1:6 tells us that if we doubt when we ask we are like a billowing surge of the sea that is blown about & tossed by the wind, I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be tossed about.

So what is my point to all this, there is untapped power in prayer!!  When we have a need or know someone that has a need, our first thought should be to go to God in prayer, it shouldn’t be our last resort.  When someone calls you up & tells you there troubles before you hang up the phone pray right then with them, it will not only show them you care but it will open the floodgates of Heaven to start working on their behalf, “Again I say to you, that if two believers on earth agree (that is, are of one mind, in harmony) about anything that they ask (within the will go God), it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  Matthew 18:19.  So get bold with your prayers, God is waiting on you to ask so He can give!