James 5:7-20
Patience and Endurance
7 Dear brothers and sisters,[a] be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. 8 You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.
9 Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!
10 For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.
12 But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned.
The Power of Prayer
13 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.
16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.
Restore Wandering Believers
19 My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, 20 you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.
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Good morning and welcome to the last week! I was going to do 2 more weeks but I wanted to cover both topics today because I feel like they go well together. The first passage talks about how this life will bring trials and suffering, but we need to have patience as we endure it. We need to trust God in these seasons. The second passage speaks about prayer. I feel like we take prayer for granted so often. We forget about the powerful weapon that prayer is. James speaks about praying in all seasons (happy, sick, suffering hardships). This is a great reminder that we shouldn't pray only when we need something. I pray in the mornings and when I go to bed but something that I started a few years ago is thanking God before every meal or snack that I ate throughout the day. It helps me remember to give thanks and be grateful for all that He has provided me with and I'm doing it multiple times a day! It only takes 2 seconds but really helps redirect my thoughts to be thankful and pause for a moment to honour Him. Life can get so busy and chaotic but taking those few moments really helps me slow down and focus on what is truly important. I hope this study has blessed you and you have been able to grow in your faith and relationship with God. If you wanted a new devotional, the free Bible app has some amazing bible studies and devotionals! Have a beautiful week x