James 5:16

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" James 5:16.

I really like this verse. It is one of my favorites because it reminds me that our prayers do matter, and that they can be powerful and effective. I imagine there are many people who do not believe in the strength of prayer, seeing it as a pacifier or crutch for the person who is praying. That kind of thinking is contrary to God's word, and therefore false, since God's word is truth.

I also like this verse because it convicts my spirit. It doesn't say, "the prayer of anyone is powerful and effective," but rather the prayer of a righteous man. I find this to be rather limiting, however, once again, God gives us the key for success in the previous sentence. By confessing our sins to each other and praying for each other we become healed. It is then that we are righteous and our prayers are powerful and effective.

This verse became very real to me yesterday when I was looking around at my messy house. The Christmas decorations were no longer pretty, but cluttery, and the tree had dropped a lot of needles. There was also a layer of dust on everything and I really needed to run the sweeper. As I started to clean, I realized it wouldn't make much of a difference because the clutter and needles would still be there. The only way my cleaning would be effective was if I got rid of the junk. And that is what I did. On December 19, I took down and packed away all of the decorations and threw out the tree (and that was heavy!). It was then that I could see the fruits of my labor.

I think the same is true with prayer. Paul says that we have to confess and get rid of the junk in our lives in order for our prayers to be powerful and effective. And if you are anything like me, this cleaning process, both of house and soul, needs to happen on a daily basis!

I am thankful for...

1. Todd going to the market on his way home last night.
2. all of the Christmas cards we got today.
3. Daniel taking 2 long naps today.
4. the car unlocking itself after I locked the keys and babies inside while it was running.
5. beautiful sunshine.
6. God's gentle reminder that my prayers do matter and that He wants to have a relationship with me.
7. Michael playing with Andon today.
8. sharing a quick conversation with my neighbors today.
9. talking with Cassie about "family matters".
10. the smell of Butternut squash steaming on the stove. It will be made into Daniel food. YUM!