“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”— Ja. 5:16
We’ve all heard the old saying “When it rains it pours”, and sometimes that’s the way we feel about our troubles. By “our troubles” I don’t necessarily mean just personal problems. I’m talking about troubles related to us, family, and friends– troubles that affect anyone in our circle. For me that’s a wife, eight children, nearly 40 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren, church members, and friends that go back many years. It doesn’t take long for a down pour to become a deluge!
Remember the old Johnny Cash song, “How high’s the water mama?”. It starts with two feet high and risen”. It ends with “five feet high and risen”. I’ve literally been there done that, but I’m talking about a different kind of flood–a flood of painful problems that hurt you and those you love. Now you might be thinking I’m complaining, but I’m not. I don’t have the right to complain. Things could be worse, and would be but for the grace of God. I mention this because of the many people in my circle that are in desperate need of help. There are far more than you know. And I suspect the same could be said of you.
Sometimes I feel like spilling my guts, telling everyone everything I know about what these folks are going through, but I’m not at liberty to do that. Besides, even if I told all I know, I don’t know the half of it. Neither do you. So what do we do? I’ve heard folks say “I’ll pray for you. That’s the least I can do.” But the truth is, that’s the best you can do! Regardless of what else you do for others, you haven’t done your best until you pray. When we pray we involve God in the matter. God help us if we don’t!
So next time you walk into the church take time to look around into the faces of folks. Each has a story to tell, although they will never tell you. Remember “You can’t judge a book by its cover”. And you can’t always see the problem a person is dealing with, so don’t assume they don’t have any. You never know what’s going on behind closed doors, or their smile. They might be laughing on the outside, but crying on the inside. Let us please do as we are commanded and “pray one for another“. It will make a difference!— HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346
