Read: James 5:13-18
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (v. 16 NIV)
Today’s verses bring to mind a mission trip to Chicago that I went on with the young people of the church I was serving in Iowa. Like many such mission trips, we did various physical work like painting and basic repairs at a homeless shelter. But we also got to participate in the evening meal with the men who were living there. Before the prayer for the meal, the men were led in a rousing cheer by one of their own residents. Over and over they repeated the words: “No prayer, no power! Much prayer, much power!” And they said it loud!
Of course, it’s true. And many of these men knew that if they were going to turn their lives around, they would need God. They knew that prayer was the way to tap into his divine power. Really, that is what we all need—power. But we need more than our own power. That’s where prayer comes in. Our reading today is clear that “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (v. 16)—whatever your circumstances, turn to God in prayer, with faith that he will provide what you need.
Holocaust survivor Corrie Ten Boom once said, “The wonderful thing about praying is that you leave a world of not being able to do something and enter God’s realm where everything is possible. He specializes in the impossible. Nothing is too great for his almighty power. Nothing is too small for his love.”
As you pray, ask God to unleash his power into your life.
About the Author
Rev. John C. Koedyker is an ordained minister in the Reformed Church in America. He has served as a missionary to Japan as well as pastor of several churches in Iowa and Michigan. Until recently he served Muskegon Classis as its Stated Clerk for 18 years. He resides in Grand Haven, Michigan.
