Prayer (2)

James 5:13-18.....

a. Is anyone among you suffering? The suffering need to pray, the cheerful should sing psalms of praise to God, and the sick should call for the elders of the church, asking them to pray for their need.

i. Instead of complaining (as in the previous verse), the sufferer should pray. “Instead of murmuring against one another (James 5:9), or complaining peevishly, or breaking out into curses, pray to God.” (Moffatt)

ii. James has the same advice for both the suffering one and the cheerful one: take it all to the Lord. In fact, the two commands could be reversed: sufferers should sing also, and the cheerful should also pray.

iii. “Elsewhere in the N.T. the word to sing praise refers to public worship, and always, if the usage in classical Greek and Greek O.T. be decisive, to songs with a musical accompaniment.” (Moffatt)

iv. James clearly set the initiative on the person in need: let him call. The hesitancy of people to ask for or to seek prayer from the leadership of the church in such circumstances is a true mystery.

The Letter of James B. Prayer and Healing (5:13–18)

v 13..But James’s concern when he deals with trials elsewhere (1:2–4, 12; 5:7–11) is to encourage believers to endure the suffering with the right spirit and with a divine perspective on history.

The Letter of James B. Prayer and Healing (5:13–18)

V 13 cont.....A reminder to turn to God is needed even more in times of cheer than in times of suffering. James specifically exhorts the community to sing songs of praise. The Greek verb here is psallō, from which we get the word “psalm.” While the verb means simply “sing,” all three of its other NT occurrences connote a song of praise to God (

The Letter of James B. Prayer and Healing (5:13–18)

v 14......James now mentions a third circumstance in which prayer is especially needed: sickness. The Greek word behind the NIV’s is sick is astheneō, “to be weak.” This word and its cognate noun (astheneia) and adjective (asthenēs) are applied to all kinds of situations in the NT:

The Letter of James B. Prayer and Healing (5:13–18)

The medicinal view is problematic for two reasons. First, evidence that anointing with oil was used for any medical problem is not found—and why mention only one (albeit widespread) remedy when many different illnesses would be encountered? Second, why should the elders of the church do the anointing if its purpose were solely medical? Surely others would have done this already were it an appropriate remedy for the complaint. The pastoral interpretation of the anointing has much to be said for it, and can be incorporated into the view we are arguing. But the value of the anointing does not lie in any physical connection between the action and the malady, as was the case with most of Jesus’ healings (e.g., he rubs the eyes of a blind man [

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed: James reminds us that mutual confession and prayer brings healing, both physically and spiritually. Confession can free us from the heavy burdens (physically and spiritually) of unresolved sin, and removes hindrances to the work of the Holy Spirit.

i. To one another: Confession to another in the body of Christ is essential because sin will demand to have us to itself, isolated from all others. Confession breaks the power of secret sin. Yet, confession need not be made to a “priest” or any imagined mediator; we simply confess to one another as appropriate. Confession is good, but must be made with discretion. An unwise confession of sin can be the cause of more sin.

ii. Clarke observes that if this passage actually refers to the Roman Catholic practice of the confessional, then the priest should likewise confess his sins to the people. He also adds: “There is no instance in auricular confession where the penitent and the priest pray together for pardon; but here the people are commanded to pray for each other that they may be healed.” (Clarke)

“Now, in the primitive church this was openly done as a rule, before the congregation. The earliest manual of the church practice prescribes: ‘you must confess your sins in church, and not betake yourself to prayer with a bad conscience’ (Didache iv.).” (Moffatt)

 Real, deep, genuine confession of sin has been a feature of every genuine awakening or revival in the past 250 years. But it isn’t anything new, as demonstrated by the revival in Ephesus recorded in Acts 19:17–20 “And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.” . It says, many who believed came confessing and telling their deeds. This was Christians getting right with God, and open confession was part of it.

The Letter of James B. Prayer and Healing (5:13–18)

Verse 16 concludes with a reminder of the great power of prayer, providing a fitting capstone to the exhortations to pray in vv. 13–16a The righteous man, or “person” (the Greek masculine form dikaiou is clearly generic), is simply the believer, the person who is “righteous” by virtue of receiving forgiveness through Jesus and is therefore part of the people of God. Prayer, James wants to make clear, is a powerful weapon in the hands even of the humblest believer; it does not require a “super saint” to wield it effectively. James employs yet a third Greek word for prayer here (deēsis), one that appropriately focuses attention on the petitionary aspect of prayer (see esp. those verses in which deēsis occurs with proseuchē [

I saw a fellow pastor today that preached a very good sermon a few weeks back......The wedding at Cana and the servants were told to do what Jesus said to do and servants do what servants do and they done as they were told by Jesus to fill the water pots.....as good of servants they were when they filled the pots with water, it was still water! Prayer is not to considered as something we do, but the recognition of weakness and the running to the One Who can!

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much: In writing about the need for prayer for the suffering, for the sick, and for the sinning, James points to the effective nature of prayer — when it is fervent and offered by a righteous man.

i. The idea of fervent in this context is strong. “It might be rendered literally: ‘Very strong is the supplication of a righteous man, energizing.’” (Meyer)

I saw a fellow pastor today that preached a very good sermon a few weeks back......The wedding at Cana and the servants were told to do what Jesus said to do and servants do what servants do and they done as they were told by Jesus to fill the water pots.....as good of servants they were when they filled the pots with water, it was still water! Prayer is not to considered as something we do, but the recognition of weakness and the running to the One Who can! The strength of the righteous prayer is their recognition that they need God......because you pray doesn’t mean a hill of beans,rather it is because I need Him is what makes the prayer effectual! It is the prayer of faith!!!

James gives an example of prayer.......1 Kings 17:1 “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.” ......1 Kings 18:1 “And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.” ........

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.” ...........

Luke 18:1 “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;” ........Luke 18:7 “And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?”

Ephesians 6:18 “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”