James: Faith in ActionSample

It's Always a Good Time to Pray

Do you notice a recurring theme in today's passage? Prayer! It's mentioned in every verse for all sorts of different purposes. Are things going badly? Pray. Are you sick? Pray. Have you sinned? Pray. Do you need something? Pray. Get the picture? James is definitely trying to make it clear!

Different families and churches have all sorts of ways of praying—some pretty casual and others very formal. At the end of the day, prayer means talking to God. You can do it with your eyes open or closed, your hands together or by your side, kneeling or standing, reading from a prayer book, or just making it up as you go along. All that matters is spending time talking to God and relying on Him for all your needs.

Imagine you called someone your friend, but you never actually spoke to them. Wouldn't be a very strong friendship! In the same way, we need to actually talk to God and spend time with Him in prayer and reading the Bible to actually get to know Him.

The easy take-away from today's passage is that any time you need anything: pray!

Questions:

1. In yesterday's passage, James told us God is "full of compassion and mercy." How can that make us feel confident that He hears us when we talk to Him?
2. Do you spend much time praying? A routine can be helpful. Maybe you could pray first thing in the morning, when you get home from school or before bed. The more the better! Come up with at least a couple of times you could pray every day.
3. God wants us to pray for the needs of others, not just ourselves. Who do you know that you could pray for? Pick someone and ask them what they would like you to pray about for them.

Prayer:

Dear God, thank You so much that I can come to You in prayer for anything I need or anything that worries me. Please help me to want to spend more time with You and depending on You. Thank You that You always want what's best for me. Amen.