We may ignore prayer because it does not seem effective. Prayer is somewhat humiliating, because it reminds us that we are powerless, weak and needy before God. Jesus said it clearly when he said, “without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) Prayer is powerful because God is powerful and God invites us to pray.
Stacy Johnson of MoneyTalksNews.com put out an article the other day entitled: Ten Misconceptions about Money. These are things that people often believe, that is, until they have enough money to realize they were wrong.
Born in 1834, Charles Spurgeon was one of the most popular preachers in London by the age of 21. His sermons were also published inwritten form. One, entitled God’s Will About the Future, was based on James 4:13-17, our text today. It was scheduled for distribution on Sunday, February 7, 1892. One week before that, on January 31, Charles Haddon Spurgeon died, 57 years of age. Considering the subject matter of the text, the timing of that event was perfect. Life is uncertain. Make the desire to please God your life’s principle driving force.
James has proposed a goal of peacemaking. Instead we see wars and fights. Reality misses the ideal by a long way.
Central Reflections 