The Privilege of Prayer
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16
One of the most valuable privileges of the born again believer is prayer, that is, direct access to the God of the universe through His Son and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, we don’t always take advantage of that privilege as often as we should. Sometimes our prayers are only words that we say off the top of our heads instead of coming from the depths of our souls. It usually takes some earth-shattering event in our lives to force us to our knees and get real with God.
The Lord longs to hear from us. If we never communicated with those whom we consider our loved ones, they would begin to wonder if we were really sincere when we told them how much they meant to us two years ago, but we haven’t made an effort to contact them since. I know–everyone is busy, but I doubt anyone has said on his or her deathbed, “Oh, I wish I had ignored my friends more.” No, I think people regret that they didn’t take time to spend with their loved ones more. Social media has hurt personal contact with others, in my view. (It’s kind of funny–not funny, ha ha, but funny strange) how it is called “social” media when it really is more like “anti-social”.) I mean, after all, why speak personally with someone when you can just text, and maybe you get a response and maybe you don’t.
There is one thing that people say that really bugs me. Here is an example that happened to me several years ago. I was working in a CPA office, and my mother had been admitted to the hospital. I went to my boss to either explain why I was late or to ask time off, I can’t remember exactly. Anyway, I told her that my mom was in the hospital, and she said, “Well, I’ll send good thoughts her way.” It is for certain that our thought life can be a mighty powerful stimulus in the way we believe and behave, but I wouldn’t give a plug nickel for any ability that thoughts have to help someone who is ill, depressed, despondent, or in need of a touch from heaven. I appreciate someone thinking about me in my distress, but I would much rather they talk to the Lord than just think about my situation. Of course, I realize that folks who say this sort of thing likely do not have much of a prayer life, if they have any at all.
It is almost like some folks are embarrassed to even mention the word “pray”. Perhaps we need to get over our embarrassment, doubt, and pride and hit the floor on our knees and cry out to the Lord. It could do wonders for this nation and its citizens. God said as recorded in II Chronicles 7:14 that “If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and PRAY, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” I think that we ought to take Him up on it. God is always ready to hear from us. He wants us to cast our cares upon Him (I Peter 5:7). He knows what we need and what we desire before we ask, but He still wants us to ask because it shows our dependence upon Him.
Our prayers don’t have to be long and drawn out, nor do they have to be eloquent or fancy. Prayer is simply talking to the Lord in our everyday language. Even when we don’t know what to pray or how to get across what we are feeling, we have the help of the Holy Spirit who takes our words and intercedes for us (Romans 8:26). There have been times when I have been called on to pray in a group of folks, and when I finished, I thought that I had really flubbed it up, but then someone would tell me that they really appreciated what I said in my prayer. I suppose the Holy Spirit had “fixed” my prayer in their hearing. Thank God for the Holy Spirit and the privilege of prayer.