Fig Tree 4

James 5:16

Water is a simple thing that we encounter every day. We are refreshed by it when we bathe in it or drink it. It falls gently as rain from the heavens. And it is easily diverted, made to flow this way or that by simply placing our hand in a stream.

And yet for all of its simplicity water is a powerful thing. It is the constant and persistent flowing of water that digs its way through dirt and rock. It was water that carved out the magnificent Grand Canyon. Over time and with effort water created something majestic.

Our faith may seem like a simple thing as well. But James gives us advice on how to employ our faith. What are we to do? How is prayer described?

When we are faced with the troubles of life and the uncertainty of all those things going on around us it is easy to feel helpless. But we can have faith in the darkest of times. That faith can give us hope and ability.

If we have faith we can go to our Lord in prayer and ask for the ability to do the good we ought to do. We can ask for the ability to become better people, more dedicated Christians, stronger believers. We simply need to go to the Lord in prayer.

And what good does prayer do? Prayer is powerful and effective. If we will be righteous people, having faith and confidence in the presence and power of our God, and confidence in our own faith we can accomplish the impossible.

Through prayer we can move forward in our journey through the wilderness of Lent. We can move on toward that wonderful celebration of God’s grace embodied in the resurrection. We can become stronger in our beliefs and more able to employ our faith to do good work for God’s kingdom.

We must learn to pray with confidence. We must learn to pray with faith. And if we have genuine faith we will be able to move the mountains of troubles and challenges to make a better life for ourselves and others.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you be reminded of the power you have in your own prayers?