Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

James challenges the reader to demonstrate faith by the kind of believing prayer that acts with confidence to see healing and forgiveness come. There’s value in the confession of sin and praying for each other to be healed. One of the most important parts of this scripture is when James writes that the prayer of a righteous man (or woman) is powerful and effective.

There’s the temptation to think that we’re all disqualified from this because none of us are completely righteous. But this promise is true in the sense that we stand in Christ’s righteousness, not our own. Then as we find our position in Christ as one who has been made holy, then we are inspired to live for Him and our daily practice begins to be righteous. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective because the Old Testament says that if I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not hear me. So there is a challenge here to walk in righteousness before God, knowing that this will open the windows of heaven and God will bless as we obey Him. Our prayers will be answered because we have a direct line to heaven that is not tainted by sin and rebellion.

I want my prayers to be powerful and effective, and I know that my readiness to deal with my own sin and walk rightly before God will open the doors to effective prayer. The closer we walk with God, the more He will reveal His will to us. My heart is to hear God’s voice and walk according to His will. This is the place of confidence and effective faith that will see answered prayer.

Thank you, Father God, for your willingness to bring your grace and healing to people’s lives. Help me to be a vessel through which you can work your healing power and grace. I set my heart to be a man of prayer who will faithfully pray for your people, this community, this nation, and the world. I set my heart to walk in obedience so that I can hear your voice in the most important issues of life. Thank you for revealing your heart to me as I am filled with your Spirit. Come Lord Jesus and fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I have the power to walk rightly before You and hear your direction for my life. I trust that my prayers will be powerful and effective as I follow you wholeheartedly.