A few days ago I posted a meditation on why we should pray. As I was surfing the internet tonight, this reading from James caught my eye, my mind and my heart.
Jas 5:13-20
Beloved:Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray.
Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing a song of praise.
Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the Church,and they should pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
The prayer of faith will save the sick person,and the Lord will raise him up.
If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful. Elijah was a man like us; yet he prayed earnestly that it might not rain,and for three years and six months it did not rain upon the land. Then Elijah prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit.
My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you should stray from the truth and someone bring him back,he should know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from deathand will cover a multitude of sins.
This seems like a no-brainer to me. Pray. Pray in petition when you have a heavy heart. Pray in praise when things are going well. Pray especially fervently for the conversion (or reversion) of those souls who appear to be lost to Christ--for Christ’s sake, not for your own-- and a multitude of your own sins will be mercifully washed away. Is there a better reason to pray? Give God his due. Prayers are the currency of Heaven, where the words “In God We Trust” are not a slogan or motto, but Truth itself.
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