Healing : Anonymous
James 5:13-14 (ESV)
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.
All my life, I grew up in a Christian family, surrounded by other Christians. I was always taught that Jesus loved us. Even as a young child, I believed that he was real. I believed that no matter the tragedies I was going through, he loved me. But recently, I began to feel distant from him. I never found my way back with him and prayer started becoming a burden. The eyes of others began to matter, and my head was clouded with thoughts. I was struggling to find my purpose in life. At one point I realized all I needed was healing, but I couldn’t find someone who was able to provide me with this healing I was looking for.
This past retreat, I went with an expectation of being healed and to find purpose. The first day I felt more stuck. I was more than ready to go home. All I had to say was life sucked. Hours passed and it was already the second day. The second day every sermon began to offend me. It felt like the pastor saw through my heart and my flaws. I refused to believe, and I didn’t bother praying. Before another session started one of the teachers came and shared this wonderful bible verse with me, “is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 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.” (James 5 :13-14)
Even after hearing this I refused to pray. The third night we prayed again, but this time for a lot longer. This is when I began to believe that prayer is powerful. My mind was no longer filled with hate. I didn’t care about the eyes of others; it was only me and God. As we prayed for one another, for the teachers, for the pastors I felt joy. I began to cry not because I was sad or because I was frustrated, but it was a cry of joy that I was able to turn back to him. I hear testimonies after testimonies which inspired me to share mine. The wonderful teacher who shared that bible verse shared it again. I truly believe this is powerful because the only way to communicate with God is through prayer. We can’t say we don’t believe or that he doesn’t respond when we don’t pray. I know that this is a problem many of us struggle with. Some of us don’t pray even though we are given every opportunity in our lives, but I’ve been taught that prayer is a wonderful and powerful thing God has gifted. There are many things you experience when you really put down your pride and surrender to the Father. The Bible has taught me that when I can’t pray for myself, I should turn to my teachers and pastors. God is truly a powerful and loving God. The only way we can experience his love is through prayer and his words. Even though my life has been going downhill ever since retreat and sharing my testimony, I know that God is still good and that there are things he wants me to learn and grow from. So, if you’re reading this you should go pray :D! Once again prayers are powerful and he’s always listening!