Prayer Is Not A Magic Formula
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In order to best understand how our prayers can be most effective, we have been looking at some contextual constraints surrounding the practice of anointing with oil and praying.
The first piece to understand is that this life is full of suffering, and that suffering is due to the results of sin.
Suffering - kakopatheia has 2 branches (vs 10)
to suffer misfortune or hardships.
implication: Not necessarily evil, but definitely bad.
leans toward external circumstances and hardships.
to suffer evil or affliction.
implication: Based on malicious intent from people
leans toward personal attacks by people.
The second piece to understand was how we are to handle suffering in general.
James tells us to be patient, persevere, pray, and praise.
Be patient with people who have wronged us. Makrothumia (vs. 10)
To persevere when under trying circumstances. Hupomeno (vs. 11)
To pray helping us lean into the mercy and compassion of God. (vs. 13)
While praising God for the encouragement and hope that He gives us in the midst of our suffering. (vs. 13)
And finally, we looked at learning to lean into the mercy and compassion of God.
His mercy and compassion come out of His love for us.
sin destroys, love heals.
He understands our weaknesses, sicknesses, and infirmities.
He desires to help us in our time of need.
He will help us when we ask.
Then, He will use our sufferings to grow us.
Today we’re going to look at the asking part a little more today and gain some insights into this contextual constraint on the text.
Speaking of asking God for things.
A girl prayed, “Lord, I am not going to pray for myself today; I’m going to pray for others.” But at the end of her prayer she added, “And give my mother a handsome son-in-law.”
Anonymous
We’ll examine three things today:
Let Your Yes Be Yes and Your No Be No.
Praying In The Name Of Jesus.
Effectual Prayers
Read James 5:12-18
Let Your Yes, Be Yes, And Your No, Be No - vs 12
Let Your Yes, Be Yes, And Your No, Be No - vs 12
Truth Statement: Prayer doesn’t need to be complicated.
Verse 12 starts the final section which is predominantly about prayer, with a simple reminder from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount that we are to let our “yes” be “yes” and our “no” be “no”.
And that reference is to the section about making vows.
So in context here, we don’t need to be “cutting deals” with God to get Him to listen to or answer our prayers.
We don’t have to convince God of our sincerity or try to make our request more believable.
“I swear on my mother’s grave that I really do need this.”
Just express your heart to Him.
Cry out your lament to Him, even in its rawness.
We see David in the Psalms do this over and over.
Sometimes I take theological issue with some of the ways that David cries out to God.
But David didn’t care, and I don’t think God does either.
David is simply bringing the pain in His heart and the doubts in his mind to the One who understands and who promises to pour out His mercy and compassion upon us.
The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
NEVER ceases or come to and end. The well will never run dry.
New every morning. It will never get stale. Manna, daily bread.
Great is your faithfulness. Not little, not short. But great.
In fact, that is another way that I make prayer simple.
It’s called praying Scripture.
It was a good enough prayer for David, or in Lamentations, Jeremiah. So, I just plagiarize it, so to speak.
Lord, you say that your steadfast love never ceases. Please reveal that love to me.
Father, you say your mercies never come to an end, I need your mercy right now.
Show your great faithfulness to me in my circumstances.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
This also touches on the fact that we don’t have to “say the right words” or use highfalutin mumbo jumbo to gain God’s attention.
Also in the Sermon on the Mount - Matt 6:5-8
Praying doesn’t have to be showy
Praying doesn’t have to be meaningless repetition thinking that due to our many words He will hear us.
Just speak plainly and simply what you need.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
“Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? “Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!
Caveat - Good by His definition.
But, He wants to give what is good and He wants to do it generously.
We just have to ask.
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
Even in this negative example, God says, “Just ask”
You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.
But, what this reveals is that instead of simply asking we try to do it our way, in our strength, in our time, and for our selfish purposes.
Maybe we think, it’s not important enough for God.
Or that it doesn’t require His attention.
So, we try to force the issue ourselves.
I’ll come back to this next week when I preach on “When God says, No.”
But, for now, you just need to simply ask God for what is on your heart.
Truth Statement: There’s no magic formula to get God to listen.
True prayer is measured by weight, not by length. A single groan before God may have more fullness of prayer in it than a fine oration of great length.
The Secret Of Power In Prayer, Volume 34, Sermon #2002 - John 15:7
Charles Spurgeon
In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;
I don’t even have to say anything, maybe because I don’t even know what to pray about.
I just ask the Holy Spirit to take my request to God.
Holy Spirit, you know my heart and what I can’t even put into words; take it to God for me.
The Holy Spirit’s prayer will be perfectly aligned with God’s will.
Praying In The Name Of Jesus - vs 14
Praying In The Name Of Jesus - vs 14
Sometimes we can treat this phrase like a magic formula.
If we just say it, then it makes it come true.
“Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
On this verse in particular
The key is so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
So, if you are using His name in a way that will not bring glory to God, you are misusing the name of the Lord. Do not take the name of the Lord in vain...
Which connects us back to verse 12 regarding not making a vow or oath.
In general
The name of the Lord is also connected to His character, His reputation, His teaching, His work, His power, and His provisions
So when you utter the name of Jesus you are appealing to His character, His reputation, basing your request on His teachings, and requesting a similar result or provision to what Jesus did.
So, while it’s not wrong to elaborate on those things in your prayer, you don’t have to.
When I pray in the name of Jesus, all that I just said is included and implied, assuming I understand what that means.
If not, then learn about those things.
Study Jesus’ teachings, His miraculous power, and how He provides.
Study how He responded to people and circumstances.
Pattern your life after His.
This is part of what makes prayer effective.
We follow His teachings.
We do the things that He did.
We pray like He did.
We become like Jesus.
So praying in the name of Jesus is acknowledging who He is and what He has done.
Secondly, it’s a reminder that the avenue of our prayers run through Jesus.
Thirdly, it’s a reminder that the answers to our prayers come from Jesus.
And finally, it’s a reminder that one purpose of our prayers is to change us to look more like Jesus.
That’s what it means to pray in the name of Jesus.
That’s the power in our praying.
Jesus desired those who were weary to find their strength in Him.
Jesus desired that those who were lost find their way through Him.
Jesus desired that those who were held captive by sin and the devil be released.
Jesus desired that those who were blinded by lies to be set free by the truth.
Jesus desired that those who were oppressed and broken hearted be healed.
It’s a reminder that it’s not us doing anything accept waiting and watching the grace of Jesus come and transform our situations and life into one that will mirror and reflect Him.
Effectual Praying - vs 16-18
Effectual Praying - vs 16-18
All That I’ve Shared Today helps us in understanding effectual praying in 3 ways.
Effective Praying Does Not Have To Be Complicated.
Just pray simply and ask what’s on your heart.
Because it’s less in what we say and more in what God already knows.
“So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
It’s also more about saying what God already told us to say.
This is one area where the connection to Elijah comes in in vs 17 and 18.
He prayed earnestly that it would not rain and then that it would. Why?
God told Him that was what was going to happen.
Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.”
Now it happened after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth.”
God told Elijah that He was going to withhold rain for a period of time.
God told Elijah when it was time for rain to come.
So, Elijah prayed because God told Him what He would do.
Elijah prayed “according to the will of the Lord.”
Praying Scripture.
Lord, here’s what your Word says.
I pray the same.
You Don’t Have To Be A Super Saint For God To Hear You.
Elijah wasn’t any different than you or I.
He might have been called by God to do some amazing things, but He still had all the same weaknesses of the flesh that we have.
He still had doubts, fears, discouragement, and frustrations.
He still missed the point and questioned why God was doing things the way He was.
And yet God still answered his prayer.
The More We Learn About Jesus The More Effective Our Prayer Is.
As we spend time at the feet of Jesus, we begin to think His thoughts and desire what He desires.
The more we understand how God works and recognize it, the more we praise Him.
And in that praise, God is glorified through the Son.
Closing Song: My Jesus
