Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. And their prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well. And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.
—James 5:14-15
We were hardwired to communicate with God through prayer. When we are sick and afraid and our heart is breaking and our inward spirit aches for His physical presence, it’s the only way to reach out and touch Him. We hunger for it. We seek it in our churches. We seek it among our Christian friends. Jesus promised when two or three are gathered in His Name and agree on what they ask, He is in the midst of them and His Father in heaven will do what they ask (Matthew 18:20). All too often, instead of gathering around and praying over us as the Word commands, friends quietly tell us we’re in their prayers. And at church, our prayer requests often slip discreetly into the hands of strangers on a prayer chain. It’s just more comfortable that way…no less effective, just more comfortable.
I’ve seen the knees of the mightiest prayer warriors weaken at the thought of praying aloud in a circle of corporate prayer. Some 
think only pastors and priests are qualified. Many simply believe prayer is a private matter. If this has been your experience, you could be missing out on something powerful. Shortly after my diagnosis, after I had come to terms with the seriousness of the cancer and my total helplessness against it, I turned to my local church home. Several prayer ministers surrounded me, gently laying their hands on my shoulders, and prayed for my healing. These people were not pastors, but lay people like you and me. They were acting in total obedience to the Word of God. They were so in tune with the Holy Spirit that the words they prayed spoke directly into the deepest unspoken fears in my heart. God was in the center of the circle. When they touched me, He touched me. When they anointed my head with oil, He anointed my head with oil. When they wiped away my tears, He wiped away my tears. I had never felt so close to the very heart and mind of Christ. I had never felt so loved. And I knew at that moment, that this cancer was in His hands…not mine, not the doctors, only His.
Now that I’m on the other side of cancer, I am a part of this circle, this time as one who is called to pray. God has placed His servants everywhere, people who want to pray with you and give you the same comfort He gave them in times of their deepest trouble (2 Corinthians 1:4). Seek them out. If you can’t find them in your local church, ask God to help you find them. Call on them to pray over you in the name of the Lord. Their prayers will unleash power like you’ve never seen before.
Excerpted from: Grace For Each Hour by Mary J. Nelson; Copyright © 2005; ISBN 0764200240; Published by Bethany House Publishers; Unauthorized duplication prohibited.