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.

I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.
—Mark 11:24-25

As I was ministering to a woman with cancer recently, I learned of her difficult childhood. Her mother had abandoned the family when she was a little girl and her father passed away when she was a teenager. He was mostly disengaged and she grew up with no parental influence in her life. When I asked if she had forgiven them, she quickly responded, “Of course I have. I don’t want to be like Jacob Marley dragging all those heavy chains around!” Even though she was un-churched until her illness, I was struck by her Biblical understanding of the consequences of unforgiveness. Somehow, she knew it would keep her bound up in chains like Scrooge’s bitter business partner.

Jesus knew it too. He came to change all that. He came to release the captives and free the prisoners (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18).  There is a distinct difference between captives and prisoners. Captives are victims of someone else’s sin. They are held in bondage against their will and did nothing wrong. But prisoners are held in bondage by their own choice. Often, they are locked up in the sin of unforgivenness.  Jesus illustrates the consequences of unforgiveness in the story about the king who forgave a large debt owed by his servant. That same servant turned around and refused to forgive a smaller debt owed to him by a fellow servant. When the king heard this, he became angry and turned the servant over to jailers to be tortured until he paid back all he owed (Matthew 18:21-34). The next statement Jesus makes is one of the most difficult passages in the Bible to accept:  “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart” (Matthew 18:35).

Jesus commands forgiveness for our own good. He knows unforgiveness is a dangerous emotion that can hinder your prayers, block your blessing, destroy relationships, and lead to bitterness, hostility, physical illness, and mental stress. The symptoms of harboring resentment are hatred, a heavy heart, rehearsed arguments, vengeance, and avoidance. Some have said it’s like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. Most important, unforgiveness stands in the way of your intimacy with God. The choice is becoming clear. We can be miserable and drag around those heavy chains or we can forgive and be set free.

Forgiving someone who hurt you begins with understanding that you owe God a bigger debt than others owe you. Most of us have prayed the Lord’s Prayer our entire life, but how many of us take it seriously when we ask God to “forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” (Matthew 6:12)? I have often had to ask myself, do I really want this to be God’s standard for forgiving me? Two verses later, Jesus drives the point home: “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you” (Matthew 6:14).

Right now, you might be thinking, “Do you have any idea what they did to me?” No, but Jesus does. He knows every hurt, every offense, and has cried every tear with you. He is no stranger to your pain. He knows forgiving them is nearly impossible to do on our own power. It’s a choice you make, not a feeling or emotion. Once you make that choice, the Holy Spirit does the hard work, and eventually, your feelings will catch up. He can forgive when you can’t. To choose to forgive someone doesn’t mean what they did to you is okay or you are obligated to allow them access to hurt you again. It simply means that you have chosen to cancel the debt they owe you, give up the right to judge their motives, and give up your demand to get relief. Instead, you will let God heal your pain and provide the remedy.

To stay free, forgiveness has to become a lifestyle. You will have many opportunities today to be offended, whether it’s a curt comment from a spouse or friend, someone who cuts you off on the freeway, or something much more serious. Please don’t drink the poison. It’s not good for your health.

Excerpted from Peace For Each Hour by Mary J. Nelson; Copyright © 2013; ISBN 978-1938388170; Published by Comfort Publishers; Unauthorized duplication prohibited.

We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.
—Proverbs 16:9

Last weekend, we had our annual snowshoeing trek on the Gunflint Trail with the Up North Gang. The beauty is simply indescribable. It’s like stepping into the movie based on C.S. Lewis’s Narnia. Imagine a world without “white noise;” a world where all the background noise is completely gone, except for the crunching of snow shoes and the occasional sound of human voices breaking into a magical silence. Single file, we head up the narrow, winding trail with the tall pine trees forming a snow covered canopy around us. As we brush against the trees, millions of snowflakes flutter and shimmer around us like glitter.  We can’t see too far ahead; we see only the person and the trail immediately in front of us. The landscape changes with each bend in the trail as a new scene delights our senses. Our leader knows the trail. He forged much of it. He plows through the fresh snow, and step by step, we follow in his tracks. We stop periodically along the way to rest, regroup, make adjustments to our gear, and just revel in the beauty of God’s creation. We have a general idea of where we’re headed and we delight in the unexpected surprises our leader has planned for us along the way. Time doesn’t matter in Narnia. We’re in no hurry to leave this enchanting, peaceful place.

As I trudged through the snowy trail, I was reminded of the old hymn by Fanny Crosby, “All the Way My Savior Leads Me.” God mapped out the perfect trail before I was born (Psalm 139:16).  He promised to give me a future filled with hope (Jeremiah 29:11). He walks the trail ahead of me and designed plenty of rest stops along the way (Psalm 139:3). Each day, He guides my steps. When I stumble, He lifts me back up again. He delights in every detail of my journey (Psalm 37:23-24). He puts friends on the path to walk with me and keep me going in the right direction (James 5:19-20).   In spite of this perfect trail, sometimes we like to think we have a better route. We stray off the main path, walk ahead of Him, or forge a different trail altogether. Sometimes we get so busy focusing on the destination that we miss the beauty and the delightful side trips God has planned along the way. Often, we want to know where the trail is leading. We want to see the whole picture. We want to know what’s around each turn. And we get frustrated when God won’t reveal all the answers. But God will only mark the trail in front of our feet and let us know what He wants from us today. When we obey immediately and step forward, He’ll plow ahead and leave a few more tracks to follow. Day by day, step by step, He reveals His plans. Sometimes we grow impatient with His pace and frequent rest stops. We might even try to take the lead and trudge through the trail ourselves. We meet resistance and then we wonder why the trail through life is so difficult.

It’s natural for us to plan.  God made us this way. But He wants to be at the center of our planning. He wants to direct our steps. Our past, present, and future are all in His hands, so it’s pointless to trudge ahead without Him. Our plans will always fall short of our expectations and we will encounter unnecessary difficulties if we leave Him out. He expects us to hold loosely to our trail map. In doing so, we are free to deviate from the plan when God has a better idea. His timing is perfect. He will use these side trips and rest stops to teach us obedience, build our faith, and reveal His goodness as we learn to lean on Him.

No, you really can’t be certain what’s at the end of trail, or even around the next corner. But we can always be certain of God. And God wants to bless you infinitely more than you would ever dare to ask or hope (Ephesians 3:20). As you trek through the trail of life today, pray that the desires of His heart become the desires of yours. Trust that He loves you and wants the very best for you. Then go ahead and make your plans. Maybe I’ll see you in Narnia.