The Prayer of Faith
Text: James 5:13-18
Core Idea: As we wait for the coming of the Lord, we are called to pray in all circumstances. We’re called to pray for each other when we’re physically sick or spiritually compromised. Then let’s pray with confidence and surrender knowing that we have a God who is powerful, wise, and gracious.
INTRODUCTION
Well, we are going through the Book of James – looking at different ways the gospel impacts our lives. And last Sunday, we were called to be patient in the midst of our suffering and trials knowing that our waiting isn’t meaningless but that it’s being used to shape us to become more like Jesus Christ. In fact, James gave us a great reason to stand firm – namely, that our suffering ultimately has an end date. The Lord will come and make all things right again – everything sad will come untrue. Now, this would’ve been a very fitting way to close the letter – but James doesn’t end there. He takes a few more verses to unpack the kind of life we ought to have as we wait for Christ’s return. And today, he’ll focus on the importance of prayer. Then with this in mind, let’s open up our Bibles to James 5:13-18. Let me read this for us.
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 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. 15 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. 16 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. 17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
Let me share three things from this passage:
· THE PRAYER OF THE BELIEVERS
· THE PRAYER FOR THE SICK
· THE PRAYER OF A RIGHTEOUS PERSON
1) THE PRAYER OF THE BELIEVERS
Now, considering that James wrote this letter to the Jewish Christians who had been scattered among the nations because of great persecution, it’s not surprising to see that James returns to an issue that had been on his mind the most – what it means to remain faithful to the Lord in the midst of our suffering. So, he asks in verse 13, “Is anyone among you in trouble?” The word “trouble” here refers to all kinds of sufferings – it could be physical affliction, emotional turmoil, relational tension, financial strain, marital strife, spiritual anguish, or anything else that goes wrong in this fallen world. It’s the kind of trial that makes you feel like you’re walking through a dark valley – feeling lost, scared, and alone. It’s the kind of hardship that makes you feel like you’re carrying a heavy weight on your shoulders. Then what James is really asking us here is this: “When troubles come, what is your first response? Is it anger? Is it grumbling? Is it complaining? Is it to seek counsel from someone, or is it to isolate yourself from everyone else? Is it alcohol? Is it entertainment? When your life is not going the way you desire, what do you do? How do you respond when you’re experiencing great pain?”
Well, James offers us a brief but weighty answer, “Let them pray.” We’re invited to pray because what we most need in the midst of our trials can only come from God. In fact, God promises that He’ll graciously provide all that we need if we would just ask. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” Brothers and sisters, our God is unbelievably generous in the way He gives. In fact, did you know that this verse literally says, “Ask the giving God”? In other words, it’s the very nature of God to give – He delights in giving. Alec Motyer writes, “This is how the giving God gives – with a selfless, total concern for us and with an exclusive preoccupation as if He had nothing else to do but to give and give again.” Think about what we just heard – in fact, imagine the disposition of God toward His people who pray in their pain. His back is not turned against them but He’s directly facing them. He’s not standing there with His arms crossed (waiting for them to prove their worth) but He’s standing there with His arms wide open like a parent who is ready to do anything and everything to comfort and help a hurting child. He’s not glaring at them with suspicion but He’s looking at them with compassion and eagerness – leaning toward them to listen better. In other words, He’s giving them undivided attention as if He had nothing else to do. This is our God. No wonder James says, “Pray!” We’re called to pray because God wants to use this opportunity to draw near to us so that He may care for us, comfort us, and strengthen us in the midst of our painful and perplexing circumstances.
Then let me ask you, “Is your trial leading you to prayer or creating a greater distance between you and God?” Pastor Paul Tripp said, “When you pray, you are not only seeking God’s help, but you are also warring for your own soul.” In other words, prayer is spiritual warfare. This is so important to remember because, in the moment of our troubles, many of us are tempted to doubt the truths in the Bible – we’re tempted to think that maybe God is not in control of our lives, that God is not omnipotent, that God is not near, or that God doesn’t really care. But prayer will help us to root ourselves in the truths of God once again. Remember that trials remind us of our weaknesses, but prayer reminds us of the greatness and the graciousness of God. Then brothers and sisters, if you’re in trouble today, I invite you to pray. Pray that your trials won’t be wasted but that God will use them to mature your faith and cultivate patience. Pray that you’ll grow in the knowledge of God. Pray that the gospel will be advanced, and God be glorified in and through your trials. Pray so that you won’t be fixated on your weakness but that your eyes will be opened to see the greatness of our God. Pray because He will give you wisdom for your trials. Pray because our God finds pleasure in providing what we need the most.
Now, James doesn’t assume that all his readers are suffering – some of them must have been doing well in life. So, he asks another question, “Is anyone happy?” Again, he’s basically asking us, “In your moment of joy, delight, and celebration, what is your first response? If you have a reason to be cheerful, what do you do?” Well, James tells us that we should sing songs of praise. Now, this is so important for us to note because just as we’re tempted to doubt God in our suffering, we’re often tempted to forget God in our prosperity. In fact, I personally believe that it’s so much easier to lose sight of God in times of happiness than suffering because when we’re content, we’re prone to forget that every good and perfect gift comes from God – and as a result, we lose our desperation for God’s presence. Then James offers this truth to protect our hearts so that we would thank God and give credit where credit is due. Of course, this doesn’t mean that those who are suffering are exempt from singing. Singing praise is most appropriate in suffering as well – and that was wonderfully modeled by Paul and Silas when they were imprisoned in Acts 16. They were singing even though they were in chains. I love what Alec Motyer writes, “Our whole life, we might say, should be so angled towards God that whatever strikes upon us, whether sorrow or joy, should be deflected upwards at once into His presence.” Then brothers and sisters, are you in trouble? Are you happy? In all circumstances, I invite you to pray and praise the Lord because this is what all believers should do as we wait for the Lord’s coming. A healthy Christian is a praying Christian – a healthy church is a singing church.
2) THE PRAYER FOR THE SICK
Now, James invites the believers to take their eyes off of themselves and care for others. So, he asks in verse 14, “Is anyone among you sick?” Here, James is not talking about a spiritual sickness but a physical one. Then what are they to do? James says, “Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.” There’s a lot to unpack here since this portion of the passage has been often misunderstood and misapplied by many Christians. So, let me take a little more time to explain this in detail. The first thing that I want us to see is that if you’re sick, your responsibility is to call the elders of the church for prayer. Now, even though this may seem like an ordinary process, this could be a lot more difficult than we think because of our reluctance to expose our weaknesses to others – we really don’t want people to think of us as weak. But not just that, something else that makes this difficult is also our reluctance to inconvenience others – we really don’t want to burden people. At times, I hear people say to me, “I didn’t want to reach out to you because I know you’re so busy. You should be focusing on other people – my problem is not that big of a deal.” But at the end of the day, the reason why we say these things is not because we really think that our issues are not that important but because we don’t want to inconvenience others – we would rather carry the burden on our own and suffer alone. So, all this to say, our fear of vulnerability and our hesitation to bother people become two reasons why asking for help is a lot more difficult than we think. Now, if this is something that you’re struggling with, let me remind you of Galatians 6:2 which says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” This is what we are called to do as Christ-followers. So, first of all, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the pastors. Even if we are busy, it would be our joy to tend to your needs, care for you, and pray with you. In fact, I’ll do my best to make myself more available so that I can walk with you closely. But at the same time, don’t hesitate to reach out to others in this community too – and if you are called, make every effort to meet their needs because that’s what God did for us. When we called, He answered (Ps. 138:3). Then let’s follow in His steps and learn to carry each other’s burdens.
Now, there’s a specific instruction that’s given to the elders – the leaders of the church. Two things. First, they are to anoint the sick with oil. Now, just in case you’re wondering, there’s no magic in the oil as there’s no magic in the water used in baptism. Just as we use water as a symbol of cleansing in baptism, just as we use the bread and the juice to remember the body and the blood of Christ in Communion, the oil is simply a visible sign of God’s healing power coming over us as the oil covers the body – it symbolizes that the person is being set apart for God’s special attention and care. It’s almost like we’re pleading with God to have mercy on this individual. Then does this mean that we should do this for the sick at our church? Possibly. I’ll have to read more on this to see what this would mean practically. But at the same time, I also want to point out that oil often had a medicinal function in the Bible. If you remember the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, Jesus shared a story about a man who was robbed, beaten, and left for dead on his journey. And this is what the Samaritan did when he saw the man – Luke 10:34, “He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.” Why did he do that? Because oil at that time was understood to soothe the body. Then what is James saying here? By implication, it could mean that as we pray over the sick (asking God to heal them), we must also take advantage of the medical care that’s available to them as well. In fact, I believe that a failure to see a doctor and receive medical treatment when it’s available is not faith but foolishness – it’s a poor stewardship of our bodies. Now, on a side note, personally, I believe that oil has more of a symbolic function than a medicinal one even though both are perfectly acceptable.
But the more important thing we need to pay attention to is the second responsibility of the elders – which is to pray over the sick. I say this because to pray is the main verb while to anoint with oil is a participle – which means that James was basically saying, “As you anoint them with oil, pray.” There’s a lot more emphasis on the need to pray. Now, here’s how we should pray for the sick – verse 15, “The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.” We ought to pray in faith. Now, what does this mean? Well, some people thought that the prayer of faith means a prayer of incredible certainty – having no doubts. But this is not just wrong theologically but it’s also very dangerous because people have used this to manipulate and crush people. They would say to the sick, “We’re going to pray but you can’t have a trace of doubt because if you do, God’s not going to answer.” And when the prayer is not answered, they begin to blame the sick for their lack of faith. “It’s because you didn’t try hard enough, because you didn’t truly believe, because you didn’t do this or that. The reason why you’re still sick is your fault” – and the sick is left feeling guilty, helpless, and broken. Now, we know that this can’t be what James was talking about because of what happened to the father of a boy who was possessed by an impure spirit. If you remember that story, the father came to Jesus and said, “If You can do anything, take pity on us and help us” (Mk. 9:22). And Jesus said, “If You can? Everything is possible for one who believes” (Mk. 9:23). And this is what the father said in Mark 9:24, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” In other words, he was saying, “I do believe – but I don’t at the same time. It’s hard to believe it because it seems impossible. So, help me believe.” Now, did Jesus say, “It’s because of your lack of faith that your boy is still possessed”? No. He listened to the father’s request and made the boy well. Brothers and sisters, if you are ever tempted to think that your prayer is not answered because you haven’t done this or that, I want you to remember how generous our God is. Our God is not cheap. Sure, He may not answer because it may not be in line with His will, but He will never manipulate us like that. Then the prayer of faith can’t be talking about a prayer of perfect certainty – rather it refers to a prayer prayed with confidence and surrender.
We pray with confidence because we firmly believe that God has the ability to heal the sick. It’s to declare that God is omnipotent – that He sovereignly reigns over all things including diseases. At the end of verse 14, James says that we should pray “in the name of the Lord.” In other words, the power is not in the oil, the power is not in the elders, the power is not in the strength of our faith but in the power of God. Then offering a prayer in faith is to put our trust in God who is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine. But that’s not all. The prayer of faith is also prayed with surrender – trusting that His will is always good for us. It’s to declare that God is omniscient – that He wisely reigns over all things including our lives. 1 John 5:14-15 says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him.” So, sometimes, He’ll answer our prayers and bring healing to the sick – but sometimes He won’t. Sometimes, He’ll respond immediately – and sometimes, He’ll take longer. But one thing is for sure: His will and His timing are always perfect. In fact, listen to what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:8-10, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me… For when I am weak, then I am strong.” All this to say, yes, God will use faith-filled prayers to heal people but that doesn’t mean that every faith-filled prayer will heal someone since it may be better for us to remain sick just like Paul. Brothers and sisters, do you trust God today? Do you truly believe that what He has planned for you is good?
Now, one more thing before we move on to our last point. Verse 15, “If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.” What is James talking about here? How is sin related to sickness? Some people have looked at this verse and said, “See, if you’re sick, it’s because you’ve sinned.” Now, I do want to point out that this does happen. God may strike us with illness because of our disobedience. For example, in talking to those who were abusing the Lord’s Supper, Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 11:30, “That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.” Yes, this could happen – but that’s not what James is talking about here. What he wants us to know is that our sickness is a very appropriate time to engage in spiritual reflection – not just to take care of our physical body but also to examine our souls. It’s an opportunity to see how our sickness is affecting our souls – and repent if it’s causing us to sin against God. This is incredibly relevant knowing that we’re more prone to sin when we are weak in the body. When we’re suffering, when we’re sick, when we’re exhausted, we get easily tempted to doubt God’s love for us, disobey God’s Word, mistreat God’s people, misuse our tongue, fight and quarrel, covet what others have, lust after earthly things, seek convenience over faithfulness, become self-sufficient, impatient, and bitter – grumbling against God and one another. In other words, when we’re sick, the temptation to compromise in holiness becomes intense. No wonder James invites us to seize this opportunity to repent – he was basically saying, “If you have sinned in your pain, repent because God is faithful and just – He will forgive us of our sins.
Now, notice that James doesn’t say, “Confess your sins to the elders who come and pray for you” – no, he says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” In other words, it’s not just the elders who are responsible for caring for the sick – it involves the whole body of Christ. All of us must be concerned for the physical and spiritual health of one another. Then how do we do this practically? It could be done one-on-one or in our small groups as we share our lives, our struggles, our temptations, and our sins – we need to give them permission to ask hard questions and commit ourselves to answering them honestly. Listen to what Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “Sin demands to have a man by himself. It withdraws him from the community. The more isolated a person is, the more destructive will be the power of sin over him, and the more deeply he becomes involved in it, the more disastrous is his isolation. Sin wants to remain unknown. It shuns the light. In the darkness of the unexpressed, it poisons the whole being of a person. But in confession, the light of the gospel breaks into the darkness and seclusion of the heart. The sin must be brought into the light. He who is alone with his sin is utterly alone. But if a Christian is in the fellowship of confession with a brother, he will never be alone again.” Brothers and sisters, confession is part of healing. Then let’s do just that. Let’s confess our sins to each other and pray for each other with truth and grace so that we will be made well physically and spiritually.
3) THE PRAYER OF A RIGHTEOUS PERSON
We are called to pray for ourselves and each other because, verse 16, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” And to illustrate this truth, James shares something about Elijah. Now, this is a bit perplexing because we know Elijah as one of the greatest prophets ever lived. In fact, he was one of the two people (Enoch being the other) who didn’t die but was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire (2 Kgs. 2:11) – and he was one of the two people (Moses being the other) who appeared when Jesus was transfigured (Mk. 9:4). Couldn’t James have chosen someone who we can actually relate to? But listen to what he said about Elijah in verse 17, “Elijah was a human being, even as we are.” In other words, Elijah was just like us – yes, there were moments when he demonstrated great courage but there were other moments when he panicked and ran for his life. There were moments when he was confident of God’s power but there were other moments when he was depressed and suicidal (1 Kgs. 19:4). All this to say, he was an ordinary Christian. But when he prayed, it was powerful and effective enough to stop the rain or cause the rain to come down. How? Because even though Elijah was an ordinary man, he was with an extraordinary God who was eager to hear the prayers of His people. Elijah’s prayers were powerful not because he was unusually mature and gifted but because God was unbelievably gracious and generous.
Then here’s what we can take away. Even though we are not perfectly righteous, we are with someone who is – and because of Him, our prayers will be powerful and effective as well. We can pray and draw near to God because He first drew near to us by sending His perfectly righteous Son who would sacrifice Himself on the cross as a substitute for our sins – and through Him, we were made righteous. So, we can be sure that God counts our prayers as righteous because He sees His Son in us as we pray. Then knowing this – knowing that our prayers are powerful and effective, how can we not pray? We should pray when we’re in trouble and when we’re happy. We should pray for the sick. We should confess our sins to each other and pray for each other knowing that God will always hear our prayers and answer according to His will. So, let me invite you to pray again. Don’t delay. Start today. Start small. If you’re not sure what to do, tell God exactly that – that you don’t know what to say. In fact, if you feel like you can’t even pray, ask others to pray for you. Brothers and sisters, allow this truth to move you to saturate yourselves with prayer.
But let me end by sharing the greatest news of all – something that should bring great comfort to our hearts. And it’s that this perfectly righteous One is praying for us right now. Romans 8:34 says, “Christ Jesus who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Brothers and sisters, know that Jesus Christ is praying for you. He’s praying that you would persevere through your trials, that you would remain holy, that you would find incredible joy in God even in your pain, that you would have the wisdom to navigate through life, that you would have the courage to guard the truth, and that you would always have this unwavering love for God and His people. And think with me – if the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective, imagine how much more powerful and effective the prayer of a perfect righteous One would be! Then be confident that His prayers for you will be answered. Depend on that. Rest in that truth. And then turn to your community so that you may support, serve, and love them knowing that that’s exactly what Christ did for you.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, as we wait for the coming of the Lord, we are called to pray. We’re called to pray when we’re in trouble and when we’re happy. We’re called to pray for each other when we’re physically sick but also when we’re spiritually compromised. Then let’s pray with confidence and surrender knowing that we have a God who is powerful, wise, and gracious.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) On what occasions does James tell us to pray (v.13-14)? Do you find it easier to pray when you are suffering or when you are cheerful? Why? What will help you saturate yourself with prayer in all circumstances?
2) What often hinders you from confessing sins and praying for one another? How can we as a Community Group do a better job of praying for one another?
3) Read Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25. Why is this so important for us to know that Jesus intercedes for us today? How does knowing this comfort us today?
4) Share a time when you saw God work through your prayers or the prayers of others. Then share a prayer request and pray for each other.