Good morning all. Before you begin, please take some time to clear away all distractions of the day…unload your burdens and worries… just focus on the Lord.
Jesus…we give this time to you. Please touch our hearts, souls and minds as you see fit..and may it all be to the glory of your Holy Name. Amen
James 5:16-20
NIV
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
New KJV
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
17 Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are. And he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it rained not on the earth for the space of three years and six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit.
19 Brethren, if any of you err from the truth and one convert him,
20 let him know that he who converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
In these words, James offers us a look at what practical Christian living should like…what it means to be in community with one another…walking with Jesus, together.
I selected these two versions of these verses because they helped me ruminate over the meaning and context to which God is speaking through James.
Take for instance vs 1…. “Therefore confess your sins to each other”…&… “Confess your faults one to another”. Now, understand…that Jim confessing to anything, is like saying that I was wrong..and as my good wife and family will loudly profess…that don’t come easily. I even end up having to repeat myself after they’re over the initial shock and disbelief!
Somehow, I know this sounds weird..please bear with me…the words sin & fault, coupled with the words “confess to one another… and pray for each other so that you may be healed”….gave me this sense “wholeness”…of people who maybe wanted to know Jim…and each other…even in our brokenness. A sense of true grace and community that could only come from God. I get the feeling that this should be a common occurrence…an everyday thing…that I should be putting into practice…but I need help.
Then, James makes this riveting proclamation that “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective”
…and I just love beauty of the KJV… “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Now comes Elijah, a prophet of the Lord…a human being much like you and I, with the same mental make-up, inclinations and passions we find in ourselves…yet, his prayers closed and opened the heavens…earnest prayers that I think James is exhorting us to emulate….but I need help.
In conclusion, James words are a wonderful snap shot of kindness and love that should permeate all that we do as Christian brothers and sister in community…to seek one another out when we fall away from The Way…
when we “wander from the truth”..and in the Name of Jesus…we are His instruments in bringing each other back to Him…all of our sins & faults covered by grace…not by our own, but because He..our Messiah..paid our debt.
Yes, I Jim, am a wanderer…and I believe…but I need help!
Well…there you have it. What’s Jesus saying to you in these verses? How is Jesus messing with you and your wandering ways?
Sure would like to hear from ya!
Blessing to you and yours!
jim