Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Our Reading titled, God is Listening, was written by Alison Keita.

Chuck, an actor and martial artist, honored his mother on her 100th birthday by sharing how instrumental

she'd been in his spiritual transformation.

Mom has been an example of perseverance and faith, he wrote.

She raised three boys on her own during the Great Depression, suffered the death of two spouses,

a son, a stepson, and grandchildren, and endured many surgeries.

She has prayed for me all my life through thick and thin.

He continued, when nearly losing my soul to Hollywood, she was back home praying for my success and salvation.

He concluded, I thanked my mom for helping God

to make me all I can and should be. The prayers of Chuck's mother helped him to find

salvation and a godly wife. She prayed fervently for her son, and God heard her prayers.

We don't always get our prayers answered the way

we'd like, so we cannot use prayer as a magic wand. However, the Book of James assures us that the

prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Like this mom, we are to continue to pray for the sick and those in trouble.

When, like her, we commune with God through prayer, we find encouragement and peace

and the assurance that the spirit is at work. Does someone in your life need salvation

or healing or help?

Lift your prayers to God in faith.

He's listening.

Today's Our Daily Bread Devotional Scripture reading is from James, Chapter 5, verses 13 through 16. Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.

Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.

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