Contagious Prayer

James 5:13-18

INTRODUCTION

Throughout his life on earth, Jesus lived a prayerful life. From time to time in the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John give us small glimpses of Jesus’ prayer life. Mark recorded that it was His usual routine to rise early in the morning, before it was light, and go to a quiet and secluded place to pray. In Matthew, we read that after a long season of ministry with a multitude, Jesus dismissed the crowd and went to the mountains to pray. There are other examples of Jesus’ prayer life, and more than likely, many other stories the Gospel writers did not tell. Jesus’ commitment to prayer was contagious. We read in Luke 11, that the disciples, observing Jesus’ prayer life, asked Him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Obviously, Jesus did teach them to pray, and obviously, they were good learners. For throughout the Book of Acts, we read about the disciples and the early church devoting themselves to prayer.

Those early believers lived with serious persecution and suffering because of their faith in Jesus. They lived with the hardship of the day: poverty, disease, an oppressive government. Life was hard. They handled it with prayer. They were devoted to prayer. We read that in Acts 2:42

Acts 2:42 CSB

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.

Almost two centuries later, though the circumstances and conditions are not exactly the same, we face similar challenges the ancient church experienced: maintaining our faithfulness through the various hardships and seasons of life, and being a consistent and effective follower of Jesus.

The daily grind of life can degrade our faithfulness to God and effectiveness as Jesus' disciple. A prayerful life is the solution to maintain a close walk with God and to experience the power of God that makes things happen. A life of prayer imitates Jesus' own prayerfulness during his life on earth.

As James completed his letter to correct and encourage Christians scattered and harrassed in carious places in the Roman empire, he concluded with a call to prayer.

As we continue our series on becoming a contagious church, we should listen carefully to James, and renew our commitment to be praying people.

1. Prayer in all seasons of life (13-15)

prayer when suffering: Scripture teaches us that the only viable response to the troubles we face in life is to pray. Used 85 times in the New Testament, "pray" is a basic verb for "turning to God." It means leaving the situation in the Lords' hands and seeking the Lord's intervention. James teaches us that we should respond to life's "little surprises" by renewing regularly our complete submission to God, which is what prayer is.

prayer when joyful: Scripture also reveals to us the danger of losing our grasp on Jesus when things are going well. The story of God's ancient people in the Old Testament exposes our human nature: The joy we feel in spiritual victories and pleasant days of peace and prosperity tempt us to forget the God who gave us the victory and peace and prosperity. James advises us to follow joy with praise and thanksgiving. A prayerful life of joyful surrender to God helps us keep our footing in the gospel and guards us from wandering off the path of righteousness.

prayer when sick: The word sick may refer to someone who is physically ill or otherwise weak and feeble, or both.

don’t face it alone (elders): God place us in a church so that we can experience rich community relationships in all of our seasons of life. Rather than withdraw inwardly when we are sick, we reach out to our church leaders and church family, and experience community in a powerful way that brings healing; if not to our body, to our souls.

be consecrated to God’s sovereign care and will (oil): This instruction from James combines the symbolic application of oil, the comforting power of human touch, and the healing power from God through prayer. There are three possible interpretations of anointing oil on the sick person:

medicinal: Oil had common medicinal uses in that day, so this verse could be telling us to pray over sick people and give them medicine. But there’s a problem with this view: while oil may have had common medicinal purposes in that day, this word was never used in the Greek version of the Old Testament to refer to medicine. Certainly other medicinal salves would have been used with other specific illnesses, but why would the elders be the ones to administer medical care? Surely someone else could or would have given medicine to a person who was sick.

sacramental: The anointing with oil developed into a sacrament practiced by the Catholic Church that would remove remnants of sin and strengthen the soul in preparation for death. This is something that would be administered by a priest, often just before someone dies. This clearly doesn’t have a basis in this text because the focus is on prayer for healing.

.symbolic: which is the most probable, and our choice today. Anointing with oil symbolizes that the one is being consecrated to the Lord. The combination of oil and prayer is way to assure the sick person of God's presence. This consecration serves to stimulate a patient waiting on the Father's lovingkindness and faithfulness.

trust the Lord: "in the name of the Lord" reminds us that going to the Lord in prayer is an act of trust. The healing power is not in the oil, the elder, or the prayer; all healing power is from the Lord, who holds life and death in His hands.

pray in faith: Trusting the Lord requires faith. James has already warned us of the hindrance of doubt in our prayer (1:5-8). Praying in faith does not mean that we can get completely healthy and wealthy just by asking God for it. ("prosperity gospel"). This is a dangerous perspective that assumes we control God, rather than trusting God's sovereignty in our lives.

evaluate your life (is there sin causing the sickness?): "If they have sinned" assumes the possibility that sin lies behind the suffering and needs forgiveness. Certainly, sickness does cause physical weakness. We know from Scripture that hardship, sickness, disunity and death are a consequence of sin. Scripture also teaches us that sin directly causes some sickness. For example, taking the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner caused some in Corinth to become weak and sick, and others had even died (1 Cor 11:30). So it’s important to pray and examine whether any sin has caused sickness. James' instructions remind us that times of suffering and sickness are opportunities for us to take stock in our relationship with Jesus and examine our hearts for unconfessed sin in our lives.

2. Prayer in community (16a)

corporate confession (significance of spiritual health related to powerful prayer): Not only was James concerned about the individual, but the whole body (church) as well. It is important that the church who desires to be a powerfully praying church, must also be a healthy church. And by healthy church, I mean more than physical health.

corporate prayer: Praying for one another builds community and increases encouragement. Praying with one another builds intimacy and unity in the body of Christ. It draws us together in the arms of the loving Father, binds together as we seek the Lord’s leadership. Empowers us as we call on the Holy Spirit to equip us for God’s ministry and mission.

Does prayer change things? I believe it does, for it channels God’s presence into situations, and as in 5:16 below it is “powerful and effective.” When the entire community and others agree and pray, things get done that would not otherwise. The actual working of prayer and faith and its relationship with the sovereignty of God remains a mystery, but all of Scripture agrees that prayer makes a difference, and I leave the final decision at all times with him and address him from the perspective of the Christ’s Gethsemane prayer, “not my will but yours be done” (Matt 26:39).

the result: healing (physical, spiritual, emotional): The word heal is the English word, save. Confessing our praying for one another can bring either physical or spiritual healing. I'm reminded that whenever Jesus healed the sick, the lame, the leper, the blind, and others, His main concern was their spiritual healing (Luke 18:42-43). Mark 11:24 states, “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

It is critical to realize that this does not lead to what is called “prosperity preaching,” the belief that we can get completely healthy and wealthy just by asking God for it. This perspective is quite dangerous, even heretical, for it assumes that we control God simply by having faith and can command him to give us whatever we wish. God is sovereign, not us.

3. Prayer that is powerful (16b-18)

Elijah’s example: A perusal of his story in 1 Kings 17–19 demonstrates this well. He prophesied a three-and-a-half-year famine and then destroyed 450 priests of Baal on Mount Carmel; but as soon as Queen Jezebel threatened him he ran for his life in panic and sat in complete dejection under a broom bush in the wilderness. What happened to the powerful prophet-warrior? He has become human like the rest of us and collapsed with the first sign of serious opposition.

We learn two features of effective prayer in this verse. First, prayer must come from righteous people. A person must have a living faith shown by an obedient life.

the conditions of righteousness:

James identifies two effects of such prayers: they “have great power” to do wondrous things in the lives of individuals and the church as a whole. Then also prayer has miraculous results: “it is made effective” by the Spirit . Prayer changes things, and the spiritual maturity of both the individual and the congregation makes a huge difference.

the disposition of earnestness (Elijah’s example): Second, effective prayer must have energy or persistence, or as James described it: Elijah’s prayer was earnest. Effective prayer comes from the heart of a believer whose passion is to see the will of God worked out in life.

the position of confidence: James’s example of Elijah in 5:17 points out that our faith must always be in accordance with God’s promises. Everything Elijah did in 1 Kings 17 and 18 was in accordance with God’s Word. God said it would not rain, and it didn’t, and then God said rain was coming, and it did. The beauty is that God used Elijah’s prayers as the means through which His Word was accomplished. Elijah didn’t demand that God do something He was reluctant to do; rather, Elijah prayed in accordance with God’s Word, trusting that God would keep His promises.

The example of Elijah in determining God’s will challenges us to seek a closeness in our walk with God so that we know and follow his will. Those prayers which accord with the will of God will always be answered.

1 John 5:14–15 CSB

This is the confidence we have before him: If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked of him.

We must so walk in God’s will that we love what God loves and reject what he rejects. This provides an unshakable confidence in God in prayer.

Conclusion

What this means:

A prayerful life imitates Jesus.

A prayerful life is submissive to the Father.

A prayerful life waits on the Spirit.

A prayerful life stirs God into action, and things happen!

Green Mamba Bites

On October 16, 1996, John Dina, missionary to Mozambique, was bitten by a deadly green mamba snake as he walked in the Mozambican bush with coworkers. Green mambas are “extremely venomous,” and their bites can “shut down breathing really quick.” Without the proper anti-venom treatment, death can occur within 30 minutes.

Yet, Dina drove himself home, a trip which required five hours. His wife and a missionary doctor stayed with him during the night as his pulse slowed and his breathing became more labored.

At dawn a medical evacuation airplane arrived to take him to Johannesburg, South Africa. Doctors at a hospital administered huge doses of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs. They kept a ventilator on standby. Within days Dina had made a remarkable recovery. His doctor said that he would suffer no permanent damage from the bite. Dina’s miraculous recovery from the bite left many villagers who knew of the incident amazed at the power of the God of Christians.

For his part, Dina thanked God for his recovery and acknowledged the prayers of God’s people. Thousands of people prayed for him when his name appeared on a missionary prayer calendar on October 12, his thirty-fourth birthday. Thousands of others prayed when an urgent notice was posted on the toll-free prayer lines of the International Mission Board and electronic prayer network.

James’ epistle concludes with an appeal to pray in trouble, in happiness, in sickness, at times of disobedience, and in working out God’s will. We must bathe each event of life with prayer. No prayer uttered in faith is ever lost or ignored by God. It accomplishes a good and beneficial purpose.

God will answer the prayers of his people in ways that often differ from our expectations, but the prayers of God’s people are never wasted. God responds to the prayers of God’s people to bring strength, encouragement, stamina, and healing.