Pray For

^{James 5:13-18}

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; ¹⁵ and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. ¹⁶ Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. ¹⁸ Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.

When our children were little, we thought it was important to teach them how to pray. There are several ways this can be done. One way to teach prayer to children is with a five-finger prayer. Each digit helps a child know what to pray for. For example: the thumb might help us remember to pray for others, the index finger for teachers, the long finger for leaders, the ring finger for the weak and the pinky for yourself.

In James, James says that his readers were to pray for one another. In this case they were to pray for one another so that they may be healed. Do you pray for others? Should you pray for one another? How do we pray for one another?

The Israelites begged Samuel to pray for them after they realized the mistake they made in asking for a king. They asked him to pray for your servants to the Lord your God. To whom do you pray?

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that we are to pray for those who persecute us. Do you? What is persecution? Luke 6 says we are to pray for those who mistreat us. Is that the same thing as persecution? Do you pray for people who mistreat you?

Paul prays that the Corinthians may be complete. What does this mean? Paul tells the Colossians that he has not ceased to pray for them. He has not ceased to ask that they may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Is this what you pray for? Should this be what you pray for?

Paul asks the Thessalonians to pray for him. Do you ask others to pray for you?

Jesus taught His listeners in the Sermon on the Mount how to pray. Do you model your prayers after the Lord’s prayer?

What do you pray for? What should you pray for?