Friday Men’s Devotional (James 5:13 – 18)

Brother, good morning. Let us give the LORD our thanks as we complete the week and go out on this Friday morning.

Read James 5:13 – 18.

In this portion of the letter written by James, brother of Jesus and one of the leaders of the early church in Jerusalem, we receive Spirit-breathed direction on prayer. As you read these few verses, notice that prayer is not only supposed to be an integral part of our lives, prayer is to become our primary response to the challenges we face, particularly sickness.

Why is prayer so important? Well, let us just consider three points this morning:

Prayer builds relationship; both with our Good God and with those people that we are praying for (or with). A life of prayer becomes a life of conversing with the LORD, and a life of sharing in the concerns and needs of others!

Prayer helps us exercise and strengthen our faith. We pray with expectation, knowing that the LORD hears our petitions, and He is willing to move in response to our requests.

By praying (and by praying FIRST), we invite our Good God to become the fulfillment of our needs, the solution to our problems, and healing for our body and our soul. By the very act of placing our concerns in the hands of Our Good Father through prayer, we set the stage for Him to be glorified. When He answers, we can truly say “Glory to God, I prayed and He heard from heaven!”. And when we see Him move in answer to our prayers, we build personal testimonies of His greatness.

So, my brother, as you go out today, be the man of prayer that this world desperately needs! And remember:

“pray without ceasing,”
‭‭I Thessalonians‬ ‭5:17‬

And

“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭4:2‬

To God be all glory! Amen!

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