Many times, we deem victory to be something seen and tangible, including our search for solutions to problems we face throughout life.

However, we are often reminded that the greatest thing we have as Christians is having the channel with which we can communicate with God — prayer. While one can have many talents (or if you think you have close to none), being able to pray to God is one thing that ties us all together. James 5 marks remarkable moments where we can see the powerful effects of prayer.

Endurance & Peace

While we know that life comes with challenging decisions and temptations, we are encouraged to endure trials with patience. It can be difficult to persevere and find calmness in a world that is constantly entrenched in chaos, but John 14:27 gives comfort that the peace given by God surpasses human understanding, and it diminishes a need for one to feel afraid and anxious. This peace can be experienced through an interpersonal relationship with God, when we have communion with God through faith and prayer. This gives us the strength to endure and establish our hearts.

Quiet Strength Among Brethren

Prayer is also a powerful tool for others to feel God’s healing apart from ourselves. One can pray for others, and also request others to pray for you. In this process of praying for one another, we are encouraged to be humble — it allows us to confess our sinful deeds before God and through fervent prayers of those more righteousness, achieve spiritual healing. When we pray fervently, we can feel heartened knowing that God hears our prayers. If God did not grant rain because of Elijah’s fervent prayers (who was a man like us), why wouldn’t He hear us?

Bringing Back A Sheep

Prayers, done genuinely and out of pure love, has the ability to guide someone who has been led astray back to the truth. The bible emphasises that the sincere act of praying for others to find their way back to God’s fold and turn them from their erroneous ways is not to be belittled — for they have ‘saved a soul from death’. This alone, is mightily sufficient to cover sins.