Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
March 12, 2025
James 5:13-16
13 If any of you are suffering, they should pray. If any of you are happy, they should sing. 14 If any of you are sick, they should call for the elders of the church, and the elders should pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Prayer that comes from faith will heal the sick, for the Lord will restore them to health. And if they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 For this reason, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous person is powerful in what it can achieve.
Good Morning. Pray continuously!
I remember a story I heard many years ago about a missionary who was serving in a third-world country. He had been there for a while, and the community had embraced him and accepted God. They had developed a prayer life under the missionary's guidance.
The chief, who had been very supportive of him, became ill. The tribal medicine man was doing all he knew to do, but the chief illness continued to worsen. Of course, prayers were offered daily by the missionary and the tribal leaders.
One night, as he was preparing to go to bed, he was summoned to the chief's bedside. When we arrived, he saw that the chief was close to death as he moaned in his sleep. He knew the tribal leaders expected him to pray for healing, which he did. He stayed by the chief’s bedside for a long while, but at the urging of one of the others, he finally left and went to bed.
Early the next morning, he heard a commotion outside his tent. He assumed it was a ritual of some kind to honor their dead chief. He quickly got dressed and joined the group. There, standing in the midst of the celebration, was the chief who had been healed.
He returned to his tent, a bit dazed. How did this happen? Had he invoked a healing? One of the elders came and asked to talk to him. The missionary asked what happened after he left the night before. The elder respectfully said, “We didn’t think you believed the chief could be healed.” After you left, we offered prayers to God. We believed in the power of God, and our faith healed the chief.
Prayer that comes from faith will heal the sick, for the Lord will restore them to health.
Loving Lord, Maker of all things! May we grow in faith each moment of our lives. Thank you. We love you, Lord! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Praying before almighty God is a humbling privilege.
What a mighty God we serve! Pastor Liz
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