22nd. July. 2022.Daily Devotions.
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you ill? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. James 5:13-15
Prayer is the Christian’s greatest but most frequently ignored privilege. The creator and sustainer of the universe has granted each of His children direct access to bring their burdens, their hopes, their fears, their plans, and their desires to Him. Jesus the Son of God can sympathize with our weaknesses because He has been “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:15-16).
One of the benefits of prayer is the stability it provides during the vacillating circumstances of life. James exhorts us to turn to the Lord not only during times of sorrow, but also during times of success. “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises” (Jas. 5:13). When we experience emptiness, distress, and affliction we should cast all our anxieties upon God, knowing that He cares for us (1 Pet. 5:7). When we experience joyfulness and cheer, James tells us to channel part of our exuberance in the form of thanksgiving and praise to God. The verb translated “let him sing praises” is also used in Romans 15:9 (“I will sing to Thy name”), 1 Corinthians 14:15 (“I shall sing with the spirit”), and Ephesians 5:19 (“singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord”). Music enhances individual and corporate worship because of the way it prepares the heart and helps us express our emotions to the Lord.
Whether we are cheerful or sorrowful, healthy, or sick, God wants us to draw near to Him. In any and every circumstance, we can do all things through Him who strengthens us (Phil. 4:12-13). K. Boa.
Lord, imprint the power of prayer on my heart. Amen.
Prayer for Forgiveness
Heavenly Father, true God, who sent your beloved Son to seek the wandering sheep, I have sinned against heaven and before you; receive me like the Prodigal Son, and clothe me with the garment of innocence, of which I was deprived by sin. Have mercy upon your creatures and upon me, a great sinner, through the miracle of Christ’s resurrection and your grace, I pray. Amen.
Prayer for God’s Protection (based on Psalm 91)
Heavenly Father, I live in your shelter. You are my refuge and my fortress. You are my God, in whom I trust. Deliver me and all those who love You from the dangers of the world, both the physical dangers that can crush our bodies and the deadly pestilence that can lay waste to our souls. Cover us with your mighty wings and protect us with your steadfast shield, and we will not fear the terror of the night or the perils of the day.
The world in its darkness curses you, the only truth, the only love, the only salvation; it seeks to destroy us by force, by sarcasm, by seduction, by compromise. But if a thousand fall to the lies of the world, if ten thousand should fall away, it will not affect me. For I have made you my dwelling place, O God. You have sent your angels to guard the faithful. On their hands, they bear us up, that no stone shall strike our foot, and no viper strike our heel.
Deliver me, O Lord, for I hold fast to you even in my fear. No temptation or power of earth can separate me from your love. You answer me when I call to you; you protect me because I call on your name. You have satisfied me with long life and salvation. All praise to the God of Jacob, all praise to Jesus Christ. Amen.
For peace and safety amid unrest
O God, who would fold both heaven and earth in a single peace: let the design of thy great love lighten upon the waste of our wraths and sorrows: and give peace to thy Church, peace among nations, peace in our dwellings, and peace in our hearts: through thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ Amen. Church of England