Be Still And Know

READ: James 5:16 NLT 'The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.' Four years ago I contracted whooping cough. To be honest I thought that it was only for children and was amazed when my GP told me that I had caught it. From time to time over a number of weeks I struggled to breathe, something I had never experienced before. The worst episodes were in the middle of the night and I will never forget those desperate attempts to breathe which ended in the “whoop” as air finally and slowly returned to my lungs. Breathing is essential to life and I now have a new respect for the process, and a deep gratitude that I can breathe without a struggle. The Bible makes it clear that prayer is the way in which we breathe as Christians. Everything depends on prayer. It has been wisely said that we are as strong as our prayer lives and no stronger. It would be impossible to exaggerate the importance of prayer, just as it would be impossible to exaggerate the importance of breathi