October 30, 2025 | Be God's Family
Blessing One Another in Faith
Scripture: James 5:13-16(NIV)
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 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. 16 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.
Devotional
Reading James 5:13-16 suggests that God will answer every prayer, if we have enough faith. I firmly believe every prayer is important, but I also believe God answers every prayer in his own way.
When I was in grade school I earned a prize by selling greeting cards. The prize was a special “magic” knife that only the person knowing the secret could open. The first day I had it I went to a Cub Scout meeting and lost it. I searched as hard as I could and couldn’t find it. I decided to pray for God to help me. I knew he could help me find it. I thought that if I threw something into the air God could guide it down to my knife. I did that until our Den Mother called us in from playing and thought I’d try one more time. That last time, it slipped out of my hand and went under a bush. I didn’t play there. When I bent down to pick it up, there was my special knife. I thanked God for helping me find it.
I don’t think God always answers in the way we ask him. He’s not a genie that grants us wishes. I do believe he wants the best for us. When I prayed for my daughter to be healed, from cancer, I knew God would answer. I just didn’t know how. God gave her a brand-new body, in heaven. She was free from pain. She was surrounded by love. My prayer could not have been answered more beautifully. I constantly see God’s answers.
What I’ve learned, in my lifetime, is that God hears us. When we are thankful, God hears. When we are in pain, he hears. When we are lost, he hears. When we pray for a lost soul, he hears. God answers in his own time and in his own way. It’s up to us to discern his answer, but with God’s help we will see it.
Prayer: Dear Loving Father, we thank you for all the blessings we pour out into our lives. We love you Lord and pray for blessings for each other. Please show us answered prayers, Lord. We have faith and we know your love. Amen
Poem
The Healthy Life
Proverbs 17
A happy heart is good medicine and a joyful mind causes healing, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:21
Pray and sing,
Receive the oil of healing
Supplicate, praise,
Receive the oil of joy
Lift and voice,
Share whatever’s grieving
This is the healthy life
Satan can’t destroy
Centered mind, joyful heart,
Fellowship with others
Burdens shared, rejoicing dealt,
All carried mutual love
Leaning, lifting,
Easy yoke well fitted
Sin confessed, forgiveness grace,
All gifts from Christ above
