Sometimes I wonder if God really is involved in the daily facets of our lives. Does He really have a plan for me? Does He really direct our lives in an ongoing way, or does He show up with specific intervention just once in a while? I struggle with this partly because of the time spent in  prayer that seems to be unanswered and disappointments that chiefly seem to come from other Christians. (Of course, if I were in an area of the world where Christians experience regular persecution and even death because of their faith, that would be the source of my questioning, I'm sure.) Today I'm thinking of a friend's unjust treatment by other Christians and subsequent struggle in finding employment and a son's disappointment because of the fickle nature of people paired with a lack of considerate, respectful communication (an email doesn't cut it). Understandably, these situations have a tendency to throw me back to my own bitter pills of not so long ago. I begin to wonder if God really has an end in view with regard to my slight existence and if He is either orchestrating the pitfalls and obstacles, or if He works around things that happen simply because we live in a fallen world. Deep in my soul, I continue to believe that God is able to work at both the macro and the micro levels. However, sometimes, like today, my belief stumbles. So as I began reading the daily office,  confessing sin and praising the Lord, I prayed that God would show me the truth about His intimate involvement in our lives. If God exists in some detached way in relationship with His children, He is still worthy to be praised. But if He is really present and at work in the mundane (and not so mundane) facets of my life, I want to know. So I read through the Psalms and the book of Baruch, and then I came to the epistle reading for today: 
James 5:13-18

13 Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. 14 Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.

This passage seemed like an answer of sorts to my prayer. Sickness, health, suffering, and joy--these are the things that make up the fabric of our lives, the things we experience on a daily basis. In this passage, James encourages believers to pray about all of these things and is confident that God hears such prayers and answers. So even if prayers do not seem to be answered quickly and disappointments heap one upon another, I will continue to pray, believing that God indeed hears and will answer.