Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. ~ James 5:13-18
The Bible tells us to pray for relief when we are suffering, to pray for healing when we are sick. Do we really believe when we pray that God is going to heal the sick and relieve the suffering? I’ve seen and experienced miracles in my life, so I know prayer can be very effective. God is not a vending machine that releases healing when we press the right button (say the right prayer). He is sovereign, and He decides, often for reasons unknown to us, whom He will heal now, whom He will heal later on earth, and whom He will heal in heaven.
Lord God, thank You for the miraculous healings I have experienced in my own life and seen in others. Let my prayers always be prayed with faith that You will answer them in the way that is best for me, even when I don’t understand. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.