The Prayer of a Righteous Person

James 5:16

Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

I find it an interesting juxtaposition that in the first sentence James discussed confessing our sins, but then states the prayer of a righteous person has great power. If we are sinful, how can we be righteous? It is in this paradoxical question that we find God and his love for us.

God created us in his image. He loves us and desires us to return to him even though we are full of sin. This is why he gave his own son, Jesus, as a living sacrifice for us. By believing in Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are freed from our sins. If we are just, give mercy, and are humble in our ways, then even with the sin that lingers, Jesus looks upon us as righteous as he has blotted out our sins.

As Christ followers, we must be above the earthly fray. This is not easy and we will fail. However, by confessing our sins to God, we are healed of those sins. In addition, we can pray for others, as righteous people, and see the workings of those prayers. These prayers can cover a multitude of issues from sin, to sickness, to fear, or to non-belief. The prayers also need to be emphatic and consistent. We need to become like the widow who pestered the judge to hear her case. He finally broke down. While God doesn’t “break down,” he does listen to our fervent prayers and is touched by our unfaltering asking and will answer. Bear in mind, this may be immediately or well into the future, but the prayer will be answered. This is where faith comes into play, but that is a subject for another blog.

Live out God’s love this coming week. Lift your prayers of concern, praise, and thanksgiving to Him as often as possible. Be His Light!