Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

James 5:19-20
My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
Churches are not made up of perfect people. Far from it! This surprises those who assume Christians live lives of near perfection. For such people there is great consternation when the organist goes off with the youth leader, or the treasurer embezzles the church’s money. We should always be shocked and disappointed by such behaviour, but never surprised. Churches are, in many ways, similar to hospitals, composed of people who are far from perfect but who, by God’s grace and in the power of His Spirit, are becoming stronger and more mature in their Christian lives.
Sadly, there have always been people who wander away from the Church. It is always tragic when this happens, and churches need to have a clear strategy for reaching out to such people. Here, James finishes his letter by inspiring his readers to be proactive when someone sadly slips out of the Church. He wants them to know how important this restorative ministry is. In bringing someone back, they are doing nothing less than saving this person from spiritual death. We all need to pray for this vital ministry.
Question
Can you think of anyone who has slipped away from your own church and, if so, is there anything you could do to encourage them to return?
Prayer
Lord, we thank You that when we sin You never give up on us. Thank You that Your desire is always for us to be restored. Amen

James 5:16b
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Some years ago I contracted whooping cough. To be honest, I thought it was only something children got and was amazed when my GP told me I had caught it. From time to time over a number of weeks I struggled to breathe. The worst episodes were in the middle of the night, and I will never forget those desperate attempts to breathe which ended in the ‘whoop’ as air finally, slowly and painfully returned to my lungs.
Breathing is essential to life, and I now have a new respect for the process and a deep gratitude that I can breathe without a struggle. The Bible makes it clear that prayer is the way in which we breathe as Christians. Everything depends on prayer. It has been wisely said that we are as strong as our prayer lives and no stronger.
James encourages his readers to pray because it can have incredible results. He points to Elijah, who was one of the most popular figures in the Old Testament. Key to Elijah’s life was the fact that he was a righteous man – he lived his life in step with God. That’s how God wants us to live our lives too, and it will only happen as we breathe in the life of God in prayer. Like Elijah, we will have our ups and downs, but as we pray we can confidently expect that our prayers will have great power and produce wonderful results.
Question
What steps do you need to take to ensure that prayer has a more central place in your life?
Prayer
Thank You Lord for the incredible privilege of prayer. Help me to never take it for granted. Amen

James 5:16a
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
How are you? I wonder how you normally respond to that question. Probably, like most of us, you smile sweetly and summarise your life with one word: “Fine”. It’s a good word and if it’s true, that’s wonderful, and one can only hope that it will continue to be the case. But, if we’re honest, it is sometimes the word we use to push people away. What we’re actually saying is: “It’s none of your business. Leave me alone. Hopefully if you think I’m fine you won’t bother me again.”
The reality is that we are not always fine. Sometimes we feel awful, and there are times when we know that we have failed miserably. James is encouraging his readers to be honest and to face up to the stark realities of life. We need to be real with one another and actually confess our sins and pray for each other so that we can find God’s healing.
I don’t believe that God is calling us to share absolutely every inner secret and sin with one another. But I do believe that churches need to be places of love and encouragement where we feel able to reveal the people we really are.
Question
What could you do to help your church to become a more loving and honest community?
Prayer
Thank You Lord that Your love for me is so complete that I can always feel safe to be totally honest with You. Help me to be more open with my Christian brothers and sisters, and to be more loving and forgiving. Amen

James 5:14-15
Is anyone among you ill? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
Jesus was both a healer and a teacher. You cannot divide up His ministry. He ministered to the whole range of people’s needs – body, mind and spirit. When Jesus left this earth, He commissioned the Church to carry on with that ministry, and here in James we see a clear description of what that meant in practice.
In recent years, the word ‘holistic’ has become very popular to describe how God works. In the power of His Spirit He wants us to be whole people, enjoying Him and His world to the full. Many parts of the Church have tended to focus on words and preaching and have marginalised the healing ministry. But that makes no sense if we are truly following in the footsteps of Jesus.
Healing takes many forms and when we pray for healing, we will never be entirely sure how God will answer. Whenever I pray for people I always tell them two things: firstly that I am absolutely convinced of God’s ability to heal, and secondly that I don’t know the way in which He will answer our prayer. In prayer we entrust ourselves into God’s loving, healing embrace.
Question
For whom are you going to pray for healing today?
Prayer
Thank You Lord that Your desire is for everyone to be whole in body, mind and spirit. Help me to both receive and share Your healing touch today. Amen

James 5:13
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.
I once heard a well-known preacher tell the story of a young woman who said she often didn’t feel like praying. His response was that prayer is not a glandular condition! Prayer is something we need to do whatever our feelings. That’s precisely the point that James is making here. In short, it’s always the right time to pray – whether you are going through a good or a bad time.
God doesn’t want us to pray as if we need to find the right magic words and then we can forget about Him until the next time we have to say a few prayers. He wants a relationship with us within which we fully share the ups and downs of life.
I love that the Bible doesn’t present us with a line of holy people who always got it right. The Bible is almost the opposite of that! It tells us the story of people who struggled and often failed. And amid it all we see how those frail and failed human beings discovered that God loved them and had a purpose for their lives.
God doesn’t want us to be religious people who say beautiful prayers and then shut Him out. He wants us to live what might best be described as a life of prayer.
Question
What steps could you take to share more of your life with God in prayer?
Prayer
Thank You Lord that You love me so much that You want to share every aspect of life with me. Amen