READ: James 5:16 NLT
'The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.'
Four years ago I contracted whooping cough. To be honest I thought that it was only for children and was amazed when my GP told me that I had caught it. From time to time over a number of weeks I struggled to breathe, something I had never experienced before. The worst episodes were in the middle of the night and I will never forget those desperate attempts to breathe which ended in the “whoop” as air finally and slowly returned to my lungs.
Breathing is essential to life and I now have a new respect for the process, and a deep gratitude that I can breathe without a struggle. The Bible makes it clear that prayer is the way in which we breathe as Christians. Everything depends on prayer. It has been wisely said that we are as strong as our prayer lives and no stronger. It would be impossible to exaggerate the importance of prayer, just as it would be impossible to exaggerate the importance of breathing for ongoing life.
James encourages his readers to pray because it can have incredible results. He points to Elijah who was one of the most popular figures in the Old Testament. When the people started looking for a Messiah to come it was believed that a second Elijah would come to prepare the way. In the course of time John the Baptist fulfilled that role. Elijah was an amazing prophet of God but James stresses that he was human just like us. He had his ups and downs but when he prayed God worked in amazing ways.
Key to Elijah’s life was the fact that he was a righteous man, that is to say that he lived his life in step with God. That’s how God wants us to live our lives and it will only happen as we breathe in the life of God in prayer. Like Elijah we too will have our ups and downs but as we pray we can confidently expect that our prayers will have great power and produce wonderful results.
QUESTION: What steps do you need to take to ensure that prayer has a more central place in your life?
PRAYER: Thank you Lord for the incredible privilege of prayer. Help me never to take it for granted. Amen.

Released on 26 Nov 2020