Confession and Prayer

James 5
¹³ Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. ¹⁴ Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.

It's so good when we ask for prayer as the Lord commands in the verses above.  When we ask for prayer, however, we need to be willing to also think about our lives in the light of God's Word, and then admit our sins before God.  Sometimes it's helpful to actually let those who are praying for you know how it is that you believe you have sinned, that is, have not followed God's commands.  This requires deep trust, but in shedding our defenses we open ourselves fully to the amazing and healing grace of God.  No matter what your sin, you are forgiven for Jesus' sake.  Jesus shed his blood and died for you!  And in his suffering death and glorious resurrection, there is power for healing in every way.

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