Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.
- James 5:13-14

James has given us a tremendous amount of wise and insightful advice over the course of his letter. This week, we’ll be looking at his last area of focus: prayer.

James picks out several different reasons to pray and several different ways to pray.

Pray when you’re in trouble. Pray when you’re happy. Pray when you’re sick. Pray. Pray. Pray.

Pray by yourself. Pray with singing. Pray with the elders. Pray. Pray. Pray.

We all have different experiences with prayer. Some of us grew up praying. Some of us have only started praying recently. Some of us still haven’t taken the first steps when it comes to prayer. James encourages all of us – no matter our background – to pray.

At the start of this week, take a few minutes to take an inventory of your prayer life.

When and how do you pray?
What are your favorite ways to pray?
What holds you back from having a richer prayer life?