All items from Jay Jarboe
The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16
It was just a simple prayer, but it communicated more than words alone could ever express. Our daughter, Meagan is in her final year of medical school and doing her rotations in various specialties at Texas Tech University Health Science Center. I was in Lubbock to help our son, Ryan move in to a house after returning from Italy. As we were working, Meagan said, “Daddy, I have a favor to ask you. Would you go to the hospital with me to pray with a man in Spanish?” She explained, that a man in MICU and his family had been asking for a Spanish-speaking priest who could pray with them. They had been able to find a priest but he only spoke English. I couldn’t refuse my daughter’s caring request.
Meagan entered the room first and told the patient that I was a minister who spoke Spanish and would like to pray with him. She asked permission to tell me the details of his medical condition. She explained to me that he was in his 50’s and had a terminal illness. He had never been in the hospital before. We put on gloves and gowns before we entered his room. Two family members were with him and I asked permission to read and pray with him. He could not talk but shook his head, “yes.” I read Psalms 23 and prayed for healing, peace, faith and grace.
I learned a couple of lessons in those few short minutes. First, I was taught by the faith, compassion and persistence of my daughter. As I prayed, she looked into the patient’s eyes and said she could only see fear. We both were touched by his desire to have a connection to his Creator at this time full of uncertainty. It is true that no matter where we have been in life, when we come face to face with our mortality, we search for our Heavenly Father. The second thing that I was reminded of was the power of a simple prayer in one’s heart language. He could not talk but his request spoke volumes. I don’t know his standing in his relationship with the Lord. I will let the Lord be the judge. However, the patient’s request reminded me everyone’s need to hear from and be heard by their Father.
Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:13-16
One of the most significant questions we ask is “Why are we here? Why do we exist? What is our ultimate purpose in life?” I don’t propose to have a “lock” on the answer to those eternal questions, but those questions point to the issue of priority. What is our most important purpose in life? In the past, l have answered this question with the statement, “We are to share the good news of Jesus with the world.” Mission or evangelism was the number one priority in my mind. However, several years ago, I allowed the word of God to change my perspective on what is the “first thing” in the life of a Christian. God himself identifies his priority which must become my priority.
Look at Isaiah 48:9-11. Israel has once again been rebellious. God is about to bring His wrath against Israel. He says, “For my own name's sake I delay my wrath; for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you…For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.” God’s priority was for His name to be glorified throughout his creation. God’s priority becomes our priority. Our purpose in life is to glorify God.
Jesus reminds us of our identity. "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16). Our reason for existence is to glorify our Heavenly Father.
If we are putting first things first, we must remember that we are to glorify the Lord in all that we do. When we have these priorities out of place missions can actually become an idol. We can actually allow what we define as “missions” to become “the Lord” and allow ourselves to be motivated to let the end justify the means. The reason that we are involved in missions around the globe is so that God might be glorified. Somewhere in a hut or a hamlet, in a heart or a home, God is not being glorified. Let’s be the presence and the witness of God’s good news, so that He will be praised everywhere. May we live in such a way that God is always glorified. 1 Corinthians 10:31.
