The verse quoted at the top is one of the most powerful principles and promises of the Scriptures. Probably because of this, it is also one of the most difficult to put into practice. Part of the reason for this is the power guilt and shame holds over us. “What will people think?” “Will they still speak to me?” “Will they reject me?” And from my own experience I can tell you that there are times when that fear is fully justified.
What is needed is a safe place. The meeting surrounding twelve step programs are usually such places, and when the higher power is the Judeo-Christian God, then all the resources and promises of heaven are at one's disposal. Twelve step programs are powerful not just for alcoholics and drug addicts, but for the rest of the word who suffer and are limited by our responses to our hurts, habits and hangups. In other words all of us (unless, of course, we are in denial!). I have found the local Celebrate Recovery (CR) group (can be googled) to be a safe place, and somewhere where the above principle and promise is being played out.
There are a number of things that are essential here. The first is encapsulated in a CR saying “You are only as sick as your secrets.” David in the psalms declares “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.” He was declaring what many of us know, that spiritual sickness can manifest itself in the body. Doctors call such ailments psychosomatic.
The second point is that confession needs to be mutual, one to another. When we have confessed we are probably at our most vulnerable, and at that point there is nothing worse than being greeted by silence. What happens when we open up to one another and receive the same back, is that we discover that we are not alone after all. It is not just me who has this problem, and a problem shared is a problem in the process of being solved.
The third thing to say is that prayer changes things, and healing often it does not occur without it (especially when the pain is deep). The title quotation is from James 5:16, but it is only the first part on the verse. The second part, in one translation, reads “The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.” When we have confessed our sins to God and each other, He sees us as righteous, so we then qualify for the promise, which is then received by faith.
The last thing to say is that it works. It has worked for me. I have been on this journey for many years during which I have seen much healing, but it is only since joining CR over a year ago, I have come to the place where I can honestly say and mean “I am in a good place.” I am not saying that life is without problems, but I am in a good place, I am at peace and have much joy. Hallelujah Amen.
