February 22 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

James 5:10-20:

¹⁰Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.
¹¹Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
¹²But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
¹³Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
¹⁴Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
¹⁵And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
¹⁶Confess 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.
¹⁷Elias 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 by the space of three years and six months.
¹⁸And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
¹⁹Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
²⁰Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

Devotional

Prayer is effective, because God hears and answers prayer. True, many pray and pray in vain, because they do not pray aright. They do not ask in faith. "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."

Whose prayer is effective? The prayer of a righteous man. Who is righteous? "There is none righteous, no not one." There is none righteous in himself. "How art thou righteous before God? Only by true faith in Jesus Christ." The righteous person asknowledges and confesses his sins, realizes his needs, and finds all things necessary to his salvation in Jesus Christ. When he prays, he bases his petitions on God's promises. And he will always be heard, and his prayer is always effective. Through the prayer of the righteous, mighty deeds are wrought. "Prayer changes things." Did not Elijah pray, and the heavens became like brass? And he prayed again, and the heavens gave rain. And Elijah was a man like we are. No doubt many lives, yea, the course of history, is often changed by the prayers of God's people. Let us not doubt, nor pray like the Pharisees, to be seen of men; but let us ask in faith. nothing doubting, and God will answer. The promise is sure. Every one that asketh, receiveth. "This is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us .... we have the petitions that we desired of him."

Prayer

Our Father, teach us to pray. May we never pray to be seen or heard of men. May we never in our prayers seek our own honor. Help us to realize our own sin and misery, so that we may humble ourselves before Thee. Grant that in faith we may lay hold of Thy precious promises. May we pray in accordance with Thy holy will, then we may be sure that Thou wilt answer us, and we shall not pray in vain. Hear this our prayer for Thy name's sake. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: James 4:3; 5:15-18; Matt. 7:8; 1 John 5:14, 15.

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