The Prayer of Faith
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let him pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs
of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call the elders of the church to pray
over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in
faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he
will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Gracious God and Heavenly Father,
We have so many reasons to pray. We are commanded to pray and we are told that the prayers of the righteous will bear fruit. We tend to pray most when we are in trouble or sick or grieving, but we need to remember to pray when things are going well too. To thank you for all our blessings and to praise you for your goodness to us. We need to confess our sins and ask for forgiveness. Thank you for being so quick to forgive and to hear all our prayers and songs of praise. May prayer become a more and more important part of our lives since it brings us into communion with you and makes it easier to face what we must face every day. Prayer helps us to enjoy the peace and joy that only you can give. Thank you for this group and for Cathy who leads us, and for all who participate. Bless those we pray for among our friends and family, and for our persecuted brothers and sisters. We pray also that you would bring more unbelievers into the fold and grant them a saving faith. We ask this, Father, in your precious son Jesus’ name.
AMEN.