Participation

So, my brother had a back injury that has him now flat on his back and in severe pain with repetitive spasms. Poor kid. He lives alone, and needs help to roll even onto his side. I'm not sure of where he's at in regards to a saving faith, but I know his relationship with Jesus is far from a priority in his life.

Today, I took him lunch & some additional ice packs. Tonight, I spent a couple hours hanging out, helping with little things, made dinner & brought him a prescription. Tomorrow morning, we're going to figure out how to lay him down in the backseat of my car, and I'm driving him to the doctor. It should be interesting.

I'm sharing this not to elicit sympathy for my brother (although your prayers are coveted!), but to demonstrate the context for the point I do want to make. I did a few things today to help him; but the thing I did that is of the most value was that I prayed. I prayed while I was waiting for the prescription...for insight from his medical team, for healing, for his peace while bed ridden...and he let me lay hands on him tonight while I prayed for his back. And boy did I pray!

"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." James 5:16 (NLT)

This is one of my most cherished verses! The prayers of the righteous are both powerful and effective! I know I've written about this verse before, but it's one I draw on frequently! And I was thrilled and surprised to be reminded again of the first part of it (which I hadn't recalled from memory). This is a verse about healing! Woo hoo! I prayed tonight that God would prove Himself strong, and perform a miracle of healing that will demonstrate His love for my brother. I prayed that it would be for His glory that He would perform an act of healing, and that the testimony it wrote for my brother would be everlasting. I pray the angels will dance and rejoice at the show of God's might. And these prayers are worth more than ice packs, prescription runs and heating up a couple frozen meals. I would love to ask for you to pray for my brother (and you're all welcome to do that!), but more powerfully in my heart tonight is that you would ask for God to be glorified through this situation. I know God hears my prayer (see Jeremiah 29:12 & 13...often overshadowed by the preceding verse, but a couple of my favorites). Now it's time for Him to do what He does best, and intervene in our lives, out of love. He deserves the praise! I want to hear the angels sing! Thank You, Lord, for who You are and what You are doing right now in my brother and in my heart! I declare You are holy, majestic and a mighty Lord! Thank You!!!