May 4, 2023
Melissa Valerio
James 5:13-16
“Is anyone among you suffering? He should keep on praying about it. And those who have reason to be thankful should continually be singing praises to the Lord. Is anyone sick? He should call for the elders of the church and they should pray over him and pour a little oil upon him, calling on the Lord to heal him. And their prayer, if offered in faith, will heal him, for the Lord will make him well; and if his sickness was caused by some sin, the Lord will forgive him. Admit your faults to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous man has great power and wonderful results.” (TLB)
Being a parent is 99% a thankless job. You give your life to your children, raising them as best you can. From feeding and wiping butts at an early age to cooking for them, cleaning up after them, driving them around everywhere they need to go, buying all their clothes/school supplies/toys/stuff, paying for doctor’s bills, medication, school activities, sports activities, so on and so on and sooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooon. Not to mention the time and energy it takes to teach them values, morals, guidance, life skills. It never ends. Why do we do this? Because we love them. And want what’s best for them. Do they appreciate it? Maybe when they’re older and have their own children. But regardless, we’d do it all over again, right? Even if they never said, “thank you”.
I wonder if God feels the same way. In Luke 17:11-19, we read the story of Jesus healing the ten lepers. They begged Him to have mercy on them, pleading for help. And out of His love and compassion for them, Jesus healed all ten of them. Instructing them to go present themselves to the priests, they all departed from Jesus, still being leprous. It was only after they started walking to town that they were healed. And only one out of the ten felt compelled to run back and thank Him. Jesus took note of this, asking where the other nine were. “Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” He asked in verse 18. Ouch. What a convicting reminder to return to God with thankfulness when He’s blessed us.
But the main idea here is to pray in any and every situation. Pray when we’re going through hard times, pray and rejoice when we’re thankful, pray and appeal to the Lord when we’re sick, pray when we’ve sinned. The theme you can’t get away from is that God wants to be involved in every area of our lives, just like we’re involved in every area of our children’s lives. The good, the bad, the up, the down, the pretty, the ugly. Everything. In every situation, He wants to be involved. And in every situation, He deserves to be thanked.
Prayer: King Jesus, it’s easy for us to pray when we’re in desperate need. In fact, that’s what You want us to do. But then help us to remember to praise You once You’ve delivered us. To come back to You and thank You for the work You’ve done in our lives and our hearts. When life happens, remind us to involve You in everything. From daily decisions, to raising children, to loving our spouses, to dealing with coworkers, to meeting the needs of those around us. In Your blessed name, Amen.
Action: First, thank the Lord for something He’s done for you. Physically, spiritually, mentally, relationally, vocationally, or wherever else He’s brought a blessing. Then, each day for the next week, make it a point to involve Him in something you don’t normally consider Him in. Bring it to Him in prayer. For instance, if you don’t normally talk to Him while you’re getting ready for work, start today. Talk to Him about your agenda and ask if He has any input. If you don’t normally involve Him in your marriage, start today. Ask the Lord to give you His heart for your spouse. And to see them with His eyes. Maybe even ask if your spouse would consider praying with you or reading the bible together with you. There are many ways to involve God in your day. Find a new way today!
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