Today’s Reading: James 5:17-20; Psalm 130

Yesterday we were reminded to draw near to God and remain in His presence regardless of the circumstances — to immediately go to God in prayer when something tragic happens in our life. Let’s step back a little and look at the whole passage together, but this time in The Message –

Are you hungry? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven – healed inside and out.

Make this your command practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t – not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.

My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God. – James 5:13-20

James takes this teaching on prayer beyond praying to God when we are in crisis and mentions two other times to make our way to the feet of Jesus — in confession and in intercession.

PRAY IN CONFESSION

When we know we have sinned, it is important for us to go to God in repentance. When we have gotten off course, He is there to forgive us and get us back on the path He has chosen for us. And when we are doing life with others, James teaches us that confession is a partnership that provides accountability and support. Together we can live whole and healed.

And at times this partnership involves confrontation. At times we need to pursue the salvation of others by authentically going to them with our concerns about the decisions they are making. God does not give us permission to judge others, or to criticize and condemn them, but He does call us to love them and not give up on them — to patiently pursue their reconciliation.

PRAY FOR RECONCILIATION

How committed are we to the gospel — to winning souls for Christ? What are we willing to become in order to pursue the hearts of the lost? Have we given up? Are we guilty of writing off those who have wandered from God’s truth? What is our response when we see Christianity drifting away from the truths found in scripture?

There is a sense of urgency in these verses. We were saved to serve God. What does He want to do through us today? Are we willing to open ourselves up to whatever He wants us to be for the sake of others? Are we so determined to hold on to the right to be offended that we are missing the opportunity to be used by God in the life of someone else?

“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.

“If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses.” – Matthew 18:12-16

WE CANNOT GIVE UP ON THE LOST.

Father God, we come to you again this morning in submission to all you want to do in our lives and through our lives. Help us to recognize the sin that we have allowed to creep in, and give us the humility to make our confession to you and to those you have placed in our lives for the sake of accountability. Cause us to see those around us who are slowly slipping away from you, or running as hard as they can from your plan for their life.

In every situation, Lord, I want to rest in your presence — looking to you for what is next, and for the strength to face it and the peace to rest in it. I long to be in your presence drawing from your strength so that you can equip me with everything I need and for every conversation you are calling me to begin. Remind me today of the power of prayer, the need for confession and the beauty of reconciliation. Amen.