Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

23 November 2025

Reading From James 5

“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. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they 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 person is powerful and effective.”—James 5:13-16

Communication is vital in any relationship. A common phrase in modern Christianity is, “it’s not about religion, it’s about relationship.” I would take it a step further and say that what God desires is healthy, balanced, life-giving relationship with us. What is the quality of your fellowship with Him? Do you speak to Him often? Do you take the time to be still and listen for His voice? We all need and should want to communicate with God more often than we do now.

Part of healing is confession. Spiritual healing begins when we decide to trust, repent, confess and surrender to Jesus as Savior and Lord. He wants us to be healed from the inside out; from the very core of our being and have healing work through every part of our hearts, minds, and bodies. His will is for all of us to be healed in every way, it’s just a matter of when for those who have the Divine Healer as the Pioneer and Finisher of their faith.

“Wonderful Jesus, thank You that You will complete the good work of healing that You started in me until the Day You come again to take us home. Lead me by Your kindness to repentance and confess that I might continually be restored and healed in Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,^[a]
    but deliver us from the evil one.^[b]’

—Matthew 6:9-13