Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 21, 2023: SOAP #4978: 2Kings 18-19; 2Chronicles 32; James 5

SCRIPTURE:  James (NIV) 5:14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him 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 him up. If he has sinned, he 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 man is powerful and effective.
17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

OBSERVATION:  The first words that caught my attention were “powerful and effective.”  It is prayer that brings the expected results.  The example given in verses 17 and 18 is of Elijah.  He prayed that it would not rain; AND IT DID NOT RAIN.  Then he prayed that it would rain; AND IT RAINED! 

The second group of words that caught my attention: “righteous man,” “earnestly,” and “faith.” They describe the person making the powerful and effective prayer.  He is righteous because his sins are forgiven.  He is living in the forgiveness provided by the blood of Jesus!   He is standing before God covered by the blood of God’s Son, Jesus!  He prays earnestly.  It is a matter of importance to him.  He will pray about it again if he does not see the answer.  This is a matter of concern.   And He prays in faith. He expects God to answer because He knows what God has said in His Word.  He knows how God thinks about such matters.  Of course, God will answer. 

APPLICATION:  Too often, I pray my will and not God’s will.  Too often I do not even consider how God feels about the matter for which I am praying.  I am more concerned about how the matter affects me than how it affects God!  

PRAYER:  Lord, forgive me for being so self-focused when I pray.  Holy Spirit, help me see things from heaven’s point of view.  Help me pray prayers that you want to answer.  When I close a prayer “in Jesus name,” may it truly be a prayer that Jesus would pray!  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
On Facebook:  Today’s SOAP from Pastor Leon