How to Completely Change Your Prayer Life

Are you feeling lost?

Are you feeling unworthy?

You're not alone, trust me—keep the faith because I believe your miracle is on the way.

But if you feel like you have nothing to rejoice over, think again. You have the Word, which is full of God's promises. Through the Grace of God, I've learned that prayer is the key that changes the harshest of circumstances. Often, you may ask, "Where is God? Why does He feel so far from me?"

A few days ago, I received a prayer request from someone in my Facebook DM. In this message, she expressed her weariness, her lackluster to attend church, or her isolated feelings of God's absence.

As I read her message, my heart bled for her. I immediately whispered a prayer for El Shaddai, who is God Almighty, and the all-sufficient God to show Himself mightily in her life. That's when I felt the move of God doing a more in-depth work within her, causing her to listen at a deeper level.

Earlier that morning, as I was in prayer preparing for my day, the Holy Spirit led me to James 5 in The Message Bible. And if you've ever sat and meditated on verses 13-20, these straightforward verses can cut deep, leaving a profound impact on your spirit. That's when I thought about the woman who reached out to me for prayer.

Verses 13-15 asks a rare question that some people never fully take the time to ask of one another: "Are you hurting?" When I read these three simple words, my heart felt as if it had skipped a beat. I, too, felt pain and hopelessness, like this hurting woman, when I couldn't trace the footsteps of God. This distress invited itself at a time in my life that seemed indescribable, messy even, at an awful period in my life. And honestly speaking, I can't really remember anyone asking me these "three simple words," which caused me to think about this woman. I thought about how she must feel at this moment in time when life can seem brutally overwhelming.

And just when you think there are no answers to the complications of life that is drowning you with possible fear and shame, chapter 5 in James follows up with a simple theme in verses 7-18, "Pray." Prayer is a powerful communication tool, my friend. It's your lifeline to God.

Line 15 gives us a more profound response…

" Believing-Prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you've sinned, you'll be forgiven—healed inside and out" (James 5:15, MSG).

WOW!

What a bold proclamation, right?

I don't know about you, but I believe James 5:16-18 urges us to make prayer part of our daily practice. It's not our job to only pray when a crisis breakout, but prayer should become our first line of defense. God should be the first person we call when challenges arise.

The Word of God is calling us to action through prayer for one another. You don't need all the hearty facts to pray for someone. All you need to discern is that they require intercession.

And even if you don't know what to pray—just whisper something simple like this.

Father, I don't know what (insert name) needs, but I pray for her total healing, restoration, peace, victory, and that she remains close to you. Amen.

These powerful verses instruct us to pray earnestly and go after the lost sheep who have wandered from the truth of God. It's our job to cover one another without rebuke but with love. We must help rescue every lost sheep, no matter what they've done.

REFLECTION SEAT

Can I invite you to think about three simple questions as you go about your day?

1. Who do you know that's suffering from a hardship?

2. How can you pray for them today or help with their burden?

3. If it looks like they're wandering away from God, how can you gently lead the way and direct them back on track?

HEART 2 HEART WITH GOD

James 5:13-20 The Message (MSG)

Prayer to Be Reckoned With

13-15 Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven—healed inside and out.

16-18 Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.

19-20 My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.

Source: James 5:13-20

SIMPLE PRAYER

Lord, show me who needs my help, my assistance, my resources today. Let me be intentional with my words and actions. Show me where to go. Reveal what I should do. Demonstrate with works how I should react without judgment or blame in Jesus's name, I pray. Amen.

XOXO,

Prophetess Leslie Brown