God's Glory Church

“Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another that you may be healed.” — James 5:16

“Hi, Po Fang! – a friend from church wrote to me. – Let’s do James 5:16 in our group this month. Let’s create a safe atmosphere of trust and confidentiality so that we can share our concerns and pray for each other.”

At that moment I did not know what to answer. Although the members of our group had known each other for many years, we had never really opened our hearts and our pain to each other. After all, it’s scary to be vulnerable.

However, the truth is that we are all sinners and we all suffer. We all need Jesus. Sincere conversations about God’s amazing grace and trust in Christ help us continue to rely on Him. With Jesus, we can stop pretending that there are no problems in our lives.

So I said, “Yes! Let’s do it!” At first it was awkward. However, gradually one by one the members of the group began to open up. Some continued to remain silent, but all treated this with understanding. No one pressured anyone. We ended the meeting by performing the second part of the text of the Epistle of James 5:16: “Pray for one another.”

That day I felt the beauty of sincere communication with Christians. Thanks to our common faith in Christ, we can rely on His help and the help of others in overcoming our weaknesses and difficulties.

How to encourage more sincere communication in your church community? Who can you share your pain with?

Heavenly Father, thank you for placing me in Your family so that I can find support in the process of my assimilation to Christ.

Author: Po Fang Hia