Praying for One Another--Lent Day 5

Reflection for Lent Day 5 (Monday February 22)

(If you are counting you may have noticed that Saturday was Day 4 of Lent and Monday is Day 5 of Lent. In counting the 40 days of Lent, the Christian Church does not count Sundays as a day in Lent because each Sunday is a “mini-resurrection,” a day in which we celebrate Christ’s resurrection from the dead!)

Theme for the Week: Confession, Forgiveness and Reconciliation

Passage for the Day: James 5:15-16

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.

Reflection:

In James’ letter, he writes about confessing sins to another person and then praying for each other. Sometimes when we have done something wrong, we just want to keep it to ourselves. This wrong-doing then seems to grow larger and larger within our minds and souls. We think about it; we worry about it, and often it will keep us awake at night. Taken to extremes, this act of wrong doing can take control of our lives. Have you ever had a situation where you have done something you have regretted and then that wrong-doing seems to take over your life?

James says that we are to confess our wrong doing to another person and then we are to pray for each other. To whom might you confess a wrong doing? Is there someone you are close to and in whom you trust? Is there a close friend, spouse, or pastor with whom you could share your distress and with whom you could pray? The praying part is important because you are asking for God to intervene, heal the emotional wounds caused by the wrong doing and give forgiveness.

The person with whom you are sharing your problem or distress is not the one who can provide healing or forgiveness. However, he or she can pray to God on your behalf. Hearing someone pray for you can give a great sense of relief, particularly at a time when we feel so out of control that we do not know how to pray for ourselves. Can you think of a time when you knew someone else was praying for you? Is there something going on in your life now, that you would want to talk to someone about and ask for their prayers?

Prayer Themes for the Day:

Pray for someone whom you know is in trouble or who is suffering. Pray that God would guide you to a prayer buddy or someone to whom you could confess your wrong doing and who would pray for you. Pray for all those who are so isolated that they have no one to pray for them.