A Miracle Prayer of 2024

 

James 5:13-20 01/07/24 Hodgdon UMC

<Miracle through God's Words>

Today is the first Sunday of 2024, and I am glad to worship with our beloved Hodgdon UMC. At the same time, I am deeply sorry to share that we lost Mandy, Jean' beloved youngest daughter, last Friday. There is nothing that can compare to the pain of losing a child. In our troubles, we know someone to whom we can turn and ask for help. He lost His only Son. He allowed Him to die. He sacrificed His only beloved Son for us. I am grateful that we come before Him on the first Sunday of 2024.

 

 

There is nothing we can do to make Jean and her family feel better, but only God and His Words, are alive and active. As I shared my testimony with you in the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, God gave us the Greatest Miracle, Jesus Christ, and He continues to work miracles through His Words. Have you ever experienced God delivering the same message to you through various channels multiple times? Recently, God presented me with the same passages four times in a month—today's scripture.

 

The first instance was at the cancer hospital. During a hospital stay, prompted by divine inspiration, I prepared for a Sunday worship service, unaware of an afternoon hospital service. Although the couple I initially spoke to didn't join the service I prepared for, they attended the later service and discovered the same Bible verse. Despite physical separation, we all worshiped the same God who conveyed a shared message. This experience brought to mind the idea from John 4:21, 23, that true worship transcends physical locations, emphasizing worship in spirit and truth.

 

Following surgery, the Bible Study theme focused on "confession," and I found the same Bible verse in that chapter. Reflecting on the purpose of confessing sins to one another and praying for one another, we can invite Jesus, who died for us, gave us authority to forgive in the name of His name, and ask for forgiveness by God's grace. It reminded me of the truth that confession would bring genuine piety and revival. This marked the second time within a month that God conveyed the same verses to me.

 

Following my testimony about God speaking the same Bible verses in a prayer meeting, my brother sent the same Bible verse to our messenger group that night. 

During winter vacation, Hannah asked me to read a prayer book. When I opened the pages, I found the same Bible verses God had been emphasizing to me.

Feeling the Holy Spirit strongly, I sensed God's nearness. I couldn't stop thinking that God wants us to listen to His Words in today's scripture, and He wants us to apply these scriptures in our lives today and this year.

<Miracle through Prayer>

God emphasizes the power of prayer three times in James 5:13-14, and I'd like to share this Bible verse in the Message version.

 

"Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing prayer will heal you; Jesus will put you on your feet." (Message 13-14)

 

This passage encourages us to pray in various circumstances — whether we are hurting, joyful, or unwell. It highlights singing as another form of prayer, emphasizing a continuous connection with God through rhythm and music. In times of sickness, the verse suggests calling church leaders for collective prayer, symbolized by anointing with oil, signifying our reliance on God's miraculous intervention. The practice is akin to the laying on of hands in contemporary times. I hold dear the poignant moment when our church members prayed for my surgery, uniting through touch and embrace. When facing challenges in mind, body, or spirit, it reminds us not to face them alone. Instead, we should reach out to church leaders and others for prayer. The assurance is that believing in prayer brings healing, and Jesus restores us.

 

James, known as "Old Camel Knees" due to his extensive prayer life, serves as an inspiration. As we step into 2024, let's adopt the posture of kneeling in prayer, following the example of this prayerful Jesus's disciple. This is one of my resolutions for this year. May we experience God's miracles through our continual prayer, especially through this humble act of kneeling throughout the year. 

<Miracle through Confession>

"The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up, and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective." (James 5:15-16)

 

This scripture highlights the potency of the prayer of faith and the prayer of the righteous. Such prayers possess the ability to bring healing to the sick, demonstrating their powerful and effective nature. How can we engage in faith-filled and righteous prayer? God instructs us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another.

While there exists a link between sin and sickness, it's not a universal correlation. Jesus, in instances such as healing Lazarus and the blind man, showcased that illness may serve various purposes—sometimes for God's glory or to reveal His works. However, when Jesus healed the paralyzed man, it held a unique significance.

"Just then some people were carrying a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, 'Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.'" (Matthew 9:2)

 

The healing of the body was coupled with the declaration of freedom from sins. Confessing our sins signifies our need for Jesus, who died for our sins, inviting Him to enable us to pray with faith as righteous children of God. As we draw near to God, we can ask for whatever aligns with His will, and our prayers will be answered, echoing the sentiments of the referenced Bible verses.

"If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." (John 15:7)

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." (1 John 5:14)

Examples of Miracles through Confession:

1) My Confession about Misusing My Voice

Before my surgery, struggling with vocal limitations, I confessed my sins to the Lord and others for misusing my voice. I acknowledged moments of impatience, shouting at my children, and excessive talking. I had misused my words to judge and blame. Despite the physical limitations, confessing my sins brought healing and holiness. God healed my heart before my physical surgery.

 

2) True Reconciliation through Confession

Struggling with two relationships, God provided an opportunity for reconciliation before my surgery. We spent time together, confessed sins, cried, prayed, and blessed each other. The experience was powerful, bringing healing. It felt as if the unnecessary parts of my life were removed before the physical surgery for cancer.

 

3) The power of group confession and intercessory prayer

Recently I felt the power of confession in the group. During Together Tuesday, children drew or wrote their sins and what they felt was wrong to God. Here are their lists with their permission. Lying, disobeying, hitting, bad words, ignoring, teasing, screaming or bursting, watching wrong things, and not spending time with God. One of the children said that she thought the Bible was boring, but it wasn't. She repented her prejudice. After confessing our sins, we prayed for others. They had the confidence to ask God, and no one did not join the pop-up prayer. 

Throughout church history, genuine revivals often sparked from collective confession, renewing personal and community piety. May we witness God's miracles through our confession and intercessory prayer this year.

<Miracle through CHURCH>

"Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." (James 5:17-18)

Elijah, an ordinary person, became extraordinary through earnest prayer to an extraordinary God. His simple prayer for no rain, followed by another for rain, resulted in a miraculous response from God. This demonstrates that God is seeking ordinary men and women who earnestly pray.

 

"My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner's soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins." (James 5:19-20)

James concludes with an encouragement to the church. Many people around us may have strayed from the truth, lacking peace and burdened by fear, resentment, anger, bitterness, and sorrow. The time is now to work miracles together as the body of Christ. We can reach out, invite, and show love to those on our minds, as this might be their last chance. Bringing back a sinner will lead to the salvation of their soul from death, covering a multitude of sins. May the church witness God's miracles in the coming year.

<A Miracle Prayer of 2024>

Today, as we anticipate miracles through prayer, confession, and our church, consider your hopes for a miracle in 2024. Reflecting on the words of Frank Laubach, the greatest miracle is to know that we find God best when we work while listening. The habit of constant conversation with God becomes easier each day, transforming our thoughts into conversations with Him. Miracles abound, not earned naturally or automatically but as gifts from God. Consider the stories of transformation: a once selfish girl now a mother of five, learning Jesus' sacrificial love; someone battling cancer, completing a year-long Bible reading plan amidst health issues; another finding comfort and peace after losing a beloved one. These are miracles. In my journal, I began writing a miracle prayer at the start of this year, After God answers my prayers, I write down God's answers under my prayer lists, and I've witnessed God filling my journal in miraculous ways.

 

Just as we longed for snow, covering everything and turning our surroundings into a playground, our lives, despite bumps, muddy puddles, and challenges, become heavenly when we find Jesus in those moments. Where Jesus is, 'tis Heaven there—that is a miracle.

 

Even in our ordinary and sometimes seemingly miserable lives, every day becomes a wonderful life filled with miracles. Consider the movie "It's A Wonderful Life," where George Bailey, in despair, meets an Angel who gives a valuable perspective on the worth of his life. The closing song, "Auld Lang Syne" by Robert Burns, sung on New Year's Eve, graduations, and funerals, holds sentimental value. I've often sung this song as a hymn, specifically "Father, I Stretch My Hands to Thee" by Charles Wesley, alongside my grandmother. Let's close with this song as we pray for a miracle-filled 2024. Lord, may we witness your miracles through prayer, confession, and our church. Let us see your miracles every day this year!

"Father, I Stretch My Hands to Thee"

1.Fa-ther, I stretch my hands to Thee,

No oth-er help I know;

If Thou with-draw Thy-self from me,

Ah! whith-er shall I go?

I do be-lieve, I now be-lieve,

That Je-sus died for me,

And that He shed His pre-cious blood

From sin to set me free.

2.What did Thine on-ly Son en-dure,

Be-fore I drew my breath!

What pain, what la-bour, to se-cure

My soul from end-less death!

I do be-lieve, I now be-lieve,

That Je-sus died for me,

And that He shed His pre-cious blood

From sin to set me free.

3.O Jesus, could I this be-lieve

I now should feel Thy pow-er,

And all my wants Thou wouldst re-lieve,

In this ac-cept-ed hour.

I do be-lieve, I now be-lieve,

That Je-sus died for me,

And that He shed His pre-cious blood

From sin to set me free.

A-men.