Reclamation Prayer

‭‭James‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬-‭20

“Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven—healed inside and out. Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again. My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.”

‭‭James‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬-‭20‬ ‭MSG‬‬

What are we to do first in all situations? Is it to complain? Argue with one another? Be stressed? No. We are called to pray, as prayer not only sets the tone for our behaviors and insights, but it also brings Christ into the picture with us more powerfully and effectively. It is not about getting what we want, as we may get a yes, or a no, or maybe a call to wait for the right timing.

This passage is a series of calls to prayer. We are all indeed called to prayer; it is not a talent, a special ability, or a spiritual gift. It is not for certain occasions or with certain postures.

Rather, it is the communication through which we encounter our loving, living Lord! Prayer is a call, to not bend our knees, but to bend our heart, and for this call, we need to know the veracity and importance of it.

These are not necessarily formulas, but encouragement that will lead us to pursue God. When we seek Him, we are ready, along with others, to engage in the actions of appeal and request to God for people who are in need and sick. We can pray for forgiveness, for our nation, show our gratitude, even pray for the weather. Thus, in all things, we are to be both in personal prayer and collective prayer with other believers.

Prayer is not just a means to get what we request, it is the means to line us up with God, His precepts, and His presence. Prayer can meet all things and needs. Prayer can and must be a significant part of anything we will ever face in life, from the trivial to things of utmost importance.

We can have confidence that our prayers are heard and answered. No matter what we need or face, we have Christ! Thus, we must preface, surround, and empower all that we do with prayer. It is never to be an afterthought; rather, it must be our first thought, our principle action, and our primary plan.

It is receiving the amazing, redemptive work of our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, so His power and purpose flow through us and into others. Prayer is spending time and talking with God, expressing our heart to Him, and interceding on behalf of others. It is meant to be exciting, powerful, and fulfilling.

Just like a phone conversation, prayer is not a one way communication. God will speak to us, not as a burning bush, but in quiet ways; so, we must also listen. And, of course, always compare to Scripture what you think He said, as He will never contradict Himself. Then, you will be able to distinguish between your desires and His precepts. There is no need we can ever face that prayer cannot meet; there is never a problem we go through that prayer cannot answer.

Many misguided Christians will say to another Christian who is ill or going through troubles, that he or she does not have enough faith or that he or she has unconfessed sin in his or her life and that is why the sickness has come. They use this passage to back up their uncaring and insensitive claims.

But, this is not what James is saying. It is not about the healing, it is about showing the love and care of our Lord. Making statements such as these does otherwise, and misses the call of the Scriptures. If you are earnestly praying, and perhaps are frustrated that you have not received an answer or the answer you desire, remember while you are waiting, God is working.

Prayer is an expression of our connection of love for what Christ has done for us in giving each of us this precious relationship with God. It shows our love and dependence on Him. It is a primary avenue for us to learn and grow in Him, and to be better equipped in life to touch others in His Name.

Therefore, it is a relationship of dependency, as any real growth must involve the surrender of our will to His Will. Prayer pulls us up by the roots and plants us further in His presence and will. We are deceiving ourselves if we think we can live our Christian life without prayer, as one could be married or have a child and never have communication with that spouse or child.

It could be done, but the relationship would be absent and soon would be bankrupt. We cannot do life on our own. Even if we could and many Christians seem to, God just might let you; this would really be the time for fear and dropping to our knees!

Prayer is not just about what our own needs are. It is about putting our lives and experiences in Him, sharing our days and lives, both in times of urgency and times of happiness, and bringing others to our thoughts and into our prayers. Continual and effective prayer will build our relationship with God.

We will realize that He is in charge of all that happens in our lives, and that we are in His Hands. How we interact with Christ as Lord and respond to others is rooted in how we communicate. Our spiritual growth and how we can connect to God with an effectual relationship is determined by how effective our prayer life is. It can be put this way: all we do in life is based on our ability to communicate and our principle communication is to our loving Lord.

We are called to be holy for God is holy, but it is only as we confess our sins to one another and to our Father in heaven, that fellowship is renewed and our prayers become effective. It is only as we abide in Him and walk godly in Christ Jesus that we are enabled to pray in spirit and truth: "And the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."

Our verses remind us that joy awaits when we reclaim those drifting and being deceived and hardened. While entering a conversation with such people can be challenging, sometimes even painful, the potential joys and eternal benefits of reclaiming the wanderer far outweigh the discomfort.

So, let's be partners with God in the reclamation business of grace, mercy, love, forgiveness, and joy!!!

Father, thank You for this day and the desire to maintain sweet fellowship with You and to walk godly in Christ Jesus. Lord, open the windows of heaven and shine down Your abundant blessings upon my friend and family today. Help us to recognize our faults and quickly seek Your forgiveness. Lord, help us also to confess our faults to those we have wronged. We pray that we may maintain an attitude of prayer and learn to pray fervently in spirit and truth so that in You our prayers may be effective and avail much, to Your honor and glory. Lord, use us to be the light of Your love today. Be a blessing.

Father, we love You. Amen !