”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.
James 5:16New International Version (NIV)
James 5:16 Devotional (Daily Bible Verse)
Confessing to and Praying for Each Other
James 5:16 reveals that we ought to be “confessing to and praying for each other“. And the latter is connected to healing (as per this verse) or answered prayers (in general).
Therefore, confession is what enables your fellow believers to pray for you. That is, praying for each other is fostered by confession. This is because, during confession, you will be able to confide your shortcomings and weaknesses to close, trusted believer friends. Thereafter, our believer friends can pray for us and help us overcome the same.
In addition, confession is the catalyst of repentance (1 John 1:8-10). And repentance in turn makes forgiveness a reality in your life (Psalm 32:5). Remember, confession is the admission of going astray.
Nevertheless, James reveals that the prayer that follows confession brings healing. James, therefore, points us to the prayers that are offered on the behalf of others. These are usually called intercessory prayers.
Specifically, though, James narrows in on prayers for healing. And he assures us that the prayers for healing, even intercessory prayers, offered by our righteous friends are powerful and effective.
Therefore, righteousness (someone’s right standing before God) is directly linked to the nature of their prayers. James reveals that the prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective because they result in healing and the forgiveness of sins. That is, the prayers of the righteous are answered by God because they originate from faith (James 5:14-15), and right standing before God – sin blocks the effectiveness of prayers.
The example of Elijah
Consequently, in verses 17 and 18, James gives Elijah as an example. And from 1 Kings 17-18, we realize that Elijah’s prayers were fervent. That is, forceful, passionate, and wholehearted, making them powerful and effective. The Bible records that actually supplicated – he prayed while he was bent down to the ground, and his face was between his knees.
Confession
Therefore, your spiritual and physical states are connected since sin affects your spirit and your body (Psalm 32:3-5). Consequently, James encourages us to make confession a common practice in our fellowships so that we may experience answered prayers. Though difficult, because it demands honesty (vulnerability), it facilitates healing because of the prayers offered by others (intercessions).
Prayer/Blessing
May confession become normal for you as you will be fellow-shipping with other believers. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading
Job 17-20 (see How to Read the Bible in One Year or How to Read the Bible (for Beginners))
