JAMES 5:16

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

TO PONDER:

I remember when I was about 8 years old or so, one of my friends had a Swiss Army Knife, the one with a knife, scissors, can opener, corkscrew, a nail file, a little saw, a “pig sticker”, 2 screw drivers, tweezers, and a toothpick…

I wanted one so much! I wanted one so when I got lost in the bush I could survive, I could even “stick a pig” and have something to eat but alas I never was able to get a Swiss Army Knife because I had mean parents (Mum reads this, she even writes some of the Daily Verse posts) and I never was lucky enough to get lost in the bush either…

In today’s verse we read James encouraging us (the church) to confess our sins to each other so we can be prayed for and pray for each other because our prayers are powerful and effective.

If we take the time to read the preceding verses we would see the crux of the verse is not as much about confessing our sins to each other but rather about the power of prayer.

James tells us that if someone is in trouble pray, if anyone is sick pray, if anyone sins, again, prayer. He does also say if anyone is happy “sing songs of praise” which is still praying but to music!

Prayer is the Swiss Army Knife for our Christian life, anything that happens, whether good, bad, or even ugly we pull out the Swiss Army Knife of prayer and use it to survive. 

PRAYER: Almighty God, I thank you for prayer, the Swiss Army Knife for life, that I can talk to you about everything, knowing that because of Jesus my prayers are powerful and effective. Amen.

Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay WestSide