Is anyone among you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? He should sing praises. Is there anyone who is sick? He should send for the church elders, who will pray for him and rub olive oil on him in the name of the LORD. This prayer made in faith will heal the sick person; the LORD will restore him to health, and the sins he has committed will be forgiven. So then, confess your sins to one another and pray to one another, so that you will be healed. The prayer of a good person has a powerful effect. Elijiah was the same kind of person as we are. He prayed earnestly that there would be no rain, and no rain fell on the land for three and a half years. Once again he prayed, and the sky poured out its rain and the earth produced its crops.

My brothers, if one of you wanders away from the truth and another one brings him back again, remember this: whoever turns a sinner back from his wrong way will save that sinner's soul from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.

James 5:13-20

Focus on the privilege and power of prayer. We can speak of physical healing, but prayer can provide much more with a call for restoration to spiritual health through repentance and confession. Physical healing can help here in this life but spiritual healing can provide eternal life.

Prayer is the soil in which hope and healing grow best.

Our Daily Bread - November 23, 2002