The Amazing Privilege of Prayer

Sermon delivered by Pastor Finn on Sunday, August 18, 2019 PENT 10

The Mayo Clinic Proceedings once published a report on prayer. The report was based on a study of patients with heart disease. Five people prayed for half of all the study’s 799 patients at least once a day. After six months, researchers found no significant differences between those who prayed for and those who weren’t. According to the leaders of the study, prayer is not effective at all.

Martin Luther once defined prayer in the simplest of terms when he said in his Small Catechism, “that we may ask Him as dear children ask their Father in heaven.”

But since when do we measure the effectiveness of prayer based just on whether or not we obtain exactly what we were praying for, like just to get better when we’re sick? What a medical study can’t measure are all the spiritual effects we know prayer has, like how God is using this or that situation in life to lead us back in faith to his promises. It can’t measure the confident feeling in your heart when you turn things over to God in prayer, or to know people are praying for you.

What a study like that can’t measure are all the spiritual effects we know prayer has, like

Today we’re going to learn more about something that you won’t be able to find out in any medical or psychological journal, but that you can find out in the Bible, and that’s how prayers work. How does prayer work? What kind of prayers are effective, and what kind of prayers aren’t effective?

how prayers are effective.

First, let’s remember what prayer is. Simply defined, Martin Luther explained prayer in his Small Catechism this way: “that we may ask Him as dear children ask their Father in heaven.”

Ever wonder about that? Simply defined, Martin Luther explained prayer in his Small Catechism this way: “that we may ask Him as dear children ask their Father in heaven.”

Martin Luther once defined prayer in the simplest of terms when he said in his Small Catechism, “that we may ask Him as dear children ask their Father in heaven.”

In simple terms prayer is speaking to God, in our own words, that we make up, or by borrowing words from another, like we do when we use a prayer book or when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, or praying the psalms in the Bible.

Prayer. In some ways it’s one of the easiest things for a Christian to do. At the same time, we speak of struggling with God in prayer, turning things over and over in our mind as we pray, wondering if we’re asking for the right thing, struggling to come up with the right words, worrying that we’re asking too much, or asking for the wrong things, or even if God’s accepting our prayers in the first place, because we’re so aware of our sins. Feeling far away from God you might even feel like you can’t pray anymore or have forgotten how to pray.

Praying. In some ways it’s one of the easiest things for a Christian to do. Even a little child prays. It’s as natural for a child of God to speak to our heavenly Father as for an earthly child to run to Daddy.

In his epistle James gives some examples of prayer when he asks, (vv.13-14) “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” These are examples of situations in which we might, and ways we pray—there are prayers of supplication when we ask God for help with things, like when we are sick. There are other kinds of prayers in which we’re praise God for things he’s done and blessings we’ve received.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

English Standard Version Chapter 5

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

Even a little child prays. It’s as natural for a child of God to speak to our heavenly Father as for an earthly child to run to Daddy

As easy as you would think it is to pray, it can also be one of the hardest things to do. Or someone “Why even pray in the first place?” Doesn’t God already know what he’s going to do?! What difference does it even make if God’s will is done anyway? Shouldn’t I be busy doing stuff instead of wasting time on prayer? Would God even listen to someone like me in the first place? Our sinful mind comes up with all kinds of thoughts and doubts that make it a struggle to pray.

Praying. I struggle with it. It’s one of the hardest parts of my Christian life. Why pray? God already knows what he’s going to do. Shouldn’t I be busy doing stuff? Why pray? God wouldn’t listen to someone like me, would he? Why pray? See how my rationalizing and doubting make it such a struggle.

Or perhaps prayer inspired and informed by faith (and gets its information from God’s Word). It’s the kind of prayer only a person of faith can pray.

Which is why it’s so helpful here to have James tell us what kind of prayer works and why. First, James says, God answers the (v.15) “prayer of faith.” So what does James mean by a “prayer of faith?”

There are a few different possibilities but they all hover around the same idea of faith. There’s the prayer of a person of faith. And by “person of faith” we’re not speaking in the politically-correct spirit of our times that label all religious people, “people of faith,” whether it’s the Christian faith, or the Jewish faith, or Hindu or Muslim faith. The Bible clearly states there is only one name given under heaven by which we must be saved, the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Without faith in Jesus it is impossible to please God. And so by prayer of faith here, James is referring to the prayer that flows from true faith in Jesus. He’s describing the prayer of the person who knows by faith that he’s righteous and holy in God’s sight through the blood of Jesus who opens the way to God in prayer for us by his cross and empty tomb!

We can think of the “prayer of faith” as prayer that’s informed by the faith and understanding you have in mind when you pray because you understand and believe what God’s Word says. Faith is worked in us by God’s Word. In his Word the Spirit gives us conviction to pray at God’s invitation, knowing that He wouldn’t command us to pray in the first place if He didn’t intend to answer our prayers.

What makes prayer effective? When James describes the “prayer of faith” as effective, it’s because of the strength of our faith. Rather, it’s because of the One that person of faith prays to.

James gives a number of examples to help us. (vv.13-15) “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. v.14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” v.15 “And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”

So what’s James describing here with “anointing with oil” and the “prayer of faith?” Is that what makes prayer effective—an elaborate approach that incorporates the use of oils like you see sometimes in the case of faith-healers down south or in some Pentecostal churches today?!

(Sometimes the Bible does describe miraculous healing in the early church, but he isn’t prescribing something for ALL times in EVERY age of the church. If that was it we might be equipping our elders a little differently these days with little traveling cases of oil to do faith healings! God didn’t promise that, and that’s not what’s being prescribed here either. Churches that do faith healings ignore the Letter of Corinthians that says those things would fade away over time as God’s church became more established and all of the God’s Word was finally writen down and available to all. What’s described here might have been a miracle but it could also be describing something medicinal and soothing like the therapies Hospice Care might sometimes incorporate into their care to alleviate soreness and irritation, but again, James isn’t prescribing something here for the Church in EVERY age). What does James say?

makes it effective like this? James is saying

First, James says, God answers the (v.15) “prayer of faith.”

So what’s that? The “prayer of faith?” James gives a lot of examples of different situations we pray--(vv.13-15) 13 “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

“prayer of faith.”

And I don’t think that I’m alone in this struggle to pray. Even a great church leader like Martin Luther has said this about prayer, "At times I, who teach this and prescribe it to others, have learned from my own example that praying comes close to being the most difficult of all works" (Plass,Ewald M. What Luther Says: A Practical In-Home Anthology for the Active Christian. p. 1081, par. 3451. Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, 1959.)

M“Prayer of faith” (ESV) - What is it? A few possibilities. It can be the “prayer offered in faith.” A person who believes in God as his Savior knows God loves him and is also able to answer his prayers. That said, we have to limit the playing field here a bit

Text: “The Amazing Privilege of Prayer!”

And what is it about the “prayer of faith” that “saves” a person who is sick, and raises him up? Sometimes God does answer our prayers and we say, “It’s a miracle!” You will hear people tell you how the doctors never expected it, but it happened! When and where he pleases God still does miracles today. Sometimes the Bible describes miraculous healings in the early Christian church, but what the Bible doesn’t do is prescribe that kind of miraculous healing in EVERY age of the church. If that was the case we might be equipping our elders a little differently these days with little traveling cases of oil to perform faith-healings! But that’s not what James is prescribing here. He might be DEScribing something miraculous here, but if that was the case he might’ve probably used a different expression in the Greek. This could also be describing something medicinal and soothing like the therapy Hospice Care might incorporate into their care to alleviate soreness and irritation, but again, James isn’t PREscribing something here for the Church in EVERY age). But notice here where the emphasis lies: on the “prayer of faith.”

God certainly doesn’t want us to be shy about asking for miracles. Sometimes still today God does answer our prayers in astounding ways that leave us concluding that, “It was a miracle!” The doctors never expected it, you didn’t expect it but it happened!

The mention of “anointing with oil” in connection with the expression “prayer of faith” is what we want to carefully unpack here. The expression James uses here for anointing is a little different than what you see with Jesus’ disciples who we’re told, () “drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” Little different expression and words in the Greek here in James, but it happened. and James could be describing something miraculous here. But my point is that what James isn’t doing here, is prescribing something for us to do and expect in every age of the church.

They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

The New International Version. (2011). (). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

but it happened.

Certainly still today God can and does perform miracles when and where he pleases. He can do that. Often in the early days of the Church when she was just getting on her feet, the miracles had the effect of not only backing up the message of Christ, but also showing that fledgling Church that God was on her side! Once years went by and the Church was established and God’s Word in the Bible was written down in its entirety, the Apostle Paul wrote that slowly those things like prophecy, miracles and tongues would fade away (), but God’s Word would remain. That’s what God wants us to put our faith in. That’s how God wants to build His Church—not on the sensational expectation and experience of miracles and tongues, etc. If that were the case we might be equipping our elders a little differently these days with little traveling cases of oil to perform faith-healings! But no, God wants to build His on His Word. That’s the key here to understanding the effectiveness of the “prayer of faith.”

Should we still expect miracles today?

Let’s talk about faith-healing a little bit here. Sometimes in Pentecostal circles and down south you get more of this where, along with the “prayer of faith” is the expectation of something immediate. And certainly still today God can and does performs miracles when and where he pleases. He can do that. A lot of times God granted such miracles to the early Christian church when she was just getting on her feet—the miracles had the effect of not only backing up the message of Christ, but also showing this fledgling Church that God was on her side! Once the Church was established and the God’s Word in the Bible was written down in its entirety, God told the Church through the Apostle Paul that slowly those things like prophecy, miracles and tongues would fade away, but God’s Word would remain. That’s what God wants us to put our faith in. That’s how God would build His Chruch—not on sensational experiences and the excitement of miracles. If that were the case we might be equipping our elders a little differently these days with little traveling cases of oil to perform faith-healings! But God wants to build His on His Word

So does prayer really work?

Sometimes God does answer our prayers in astounding ways like this and we say, “It’s a miracle!” You will hear of times when the doctors never expected it, but it happened! And certainly still today God still performs miracles when and where he pleases. He can do that.

What is it really that “saves” a person and raises him up like James is saying here? Sometimes God does answer our prayers in astounding ways and we say, “It’s a miracle!” You will hear of times when the doctors never expected it, but it happened! And certainly still today God still performs miracles when and where he pleases. He can do that.

Let’s talk about faith-healing a little bit here. Sometimes in Pentecostal circles and down south you get more of this where, along with the “prayer of faith” is the expectation of something immediate. And certainly still today God can and does performs miracles when and where he pleases. He can do that. A lot of times God granted such miracles to the early Christian church when she was just getting on her feet—the miracles had the effect of not only backing up the message of Christ, but also showing this fledgling Church that God was on her side! Once the Church was established and the God’s Word in the Bible was written down in its entirety, God told the Church through the Apostle Paul that slowly those things like prophecy, miracles and tongues would fade away, but God’s Word would remain. That’s what God wants us to put our faith in. That’s how God would build His Chruch—not on sensational experiences and the excitement of miracles. If that were the case we might be equipping our elders a little differently these days with little traveling cases of oil to perform faith-healings! But God wants to build His on His Word

And certainly still today God still performs miracles when and where he pleases. He can do that.

The Mayo Clinic Proceedings once published a report on prayer. The report was based on a study of patients with heart disease. Five people prayed for half of all the study’s 799 patients at least once a day. After six months, researchers reported that no significant differences between those who prayed for and those who weren’t. According to the leaders of the study, prayer is not effective at all.

You see this described in the early Christian Church a lot at a time God granted such miracles at a time when the Church was just getting on her feet—the miracles had the effect of not only backing up the message of Christ, but also showing this fledgling Church at the time that Giod was on her side! Once the Church was established and all of God’s Word was established God said that slowly things like prophecy, miracles and tongues would fade away, but God’s Word would remain. That’s where He wants us to put our faith.

Is that any way to measure the effectiveness of prayer? You don’t get exactly what you prayed for and so all of a sudden, you conclude that prayer doesn’t work? Of course not. What no medical study can measure are all the spiritual effects we know prayer has, like the confident feeling in your heart as you turn things over to God in prayer. Or how about the feeling you get as you pray and then are led back in your mind to all of God’s promises in his Word. And then, too, what a blessing it is to know when people are praying are for you.

Is that any way to measure the effectiveness of prayer? You don’t get exactly what you prayed for and so all of a sudden, you conclude that prayer doesn’t work? Of course, what no medical study can measure are all the spiritual effects we know prayer has, like the confident feeling in your heart as you turn things over to God in prayer, as you pray and are then led back to all of God’s promises in his Word. And what a good feeling to know that people are praying for you.

That’s the key here to understanding the effectiveness of the “prayer of faith.”

Today let’s review some of the basics of prayer and learn a few things that you won’t find in any medical or psychological journal, but that you will find in the Bible. First, let’s thank God for the amazing privilege of prayer, remembering what it is and how it works. I think you will be amazed all over again by some things James teaches us about prayer today—I know I was—I hope you will be too!

Today the Apostle James will help us review some things about prayer and help us learn some new things too--things you won’t find in any medical or psychological journal, but that you will find in the Bible. As we study these verses let’s thank God all over again for the amazing privilege of prayer as we review what it is and how it works.

Sometimes the Bible does record miraculous healings that occurred in the early Christian church, but the Bible never tells us to expect those things in every age of the Church. If that were the case we might be equipping our elders a little differently these days with little traveling cases of oil to perform faith-healings! While James might be describing something miraculous here, it’s also possible he’s describing something medicinal and soothing like the therapy Hospice Care might incorporate into their care to alleviate soreness and irritation. But again, James isn’t PREscribing something here for the Church in EVERY age), but simply DEScribing something (For miraculous healing James likely would’ve used a little different word and expression here in the Greek). But notice here where the emphasis lies: the “prayer of faith” makes the sick person well, and raises him up.

While James might be describing something miraculous here, it’s also possible he’s describing something medicinal and soothing like the therapy Hospice Care might incorporate into their care to alleviate soreness and irritation. But again, James isn’t PREscribing something here for the Church in EVERY age), but simply DEScribing something (For miraculous healing James likely would’ve used a little different word and expression here in the Greek). But notice here where the emphasis lies: the “prayer of faith” makes the sick person well, and raises him up.

But notice here where the emphasis lies: the “prayer of faith” makes the sick person well, and raises him up.

In the end, the real emphasis here, isn’t on the elaborate approach or expectation of something miraculous EVERY time. Rather, the emphasis is on the One who brings healing of ANY kind—God is the one to whom we direct our “prayers of faith.”

Okay, so what does your “prayer of faith” really do? The last thing I want you to do is leave here today with a small view of prayer. Can your prayers make a sick person well, and raise them up? I’m going to take James at his Word here when he tells us, () “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

First, let’s remember what an amazing privilege prayer is. Simply defined, Martin Luther explained prayer in his Small Catechism this way: “that we may ask Him as dear children ask their Father in heaven.” What an amazing thought—that our holy God would listen to our prayers that way: as dear children ask their dear father. How amazing that--especially when you consider how we daily rebel against Him by with our sinning. The Bible says, () “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

First, what an amazing privilege prayer is. Martin Luther explains it this way in the Catechism: “that we may ask Him as dear children ask their Father in heaven.” What an amazing thought—that our holy God, the King of all creation, listens to our prayers “as dear children ask their dear father.” Think of the countless voices out there, and yet God can single out your voice and your thoughts and knows exactly what you need, even before a word is on your tongue ().

Sometimes the Bible does record miraculous healings that occurred in the early Christian church, but the Bible never tells us to expect those things in every age of the Church.

But notice here where the emphasis lies: the “prayer of faith” makes the sick person well, and raises him up.

So in what real sense can your “prayer of faith” make a sick person well, and raise them up.

make a sick person well, and raise them up.

We do evil when we sin. Who of us has a right to be heard by God in prayer? In the simplest of terms prayer is speaking to God, but before that, let’s listen to Him pronouncing His word of forgiveness in our ears. The psalmist wrote, () “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” (v.16) “Confess your sins,” James says, “so that you may be healed.”

How amazing is that--especially when you consider the way we daily rebel in sin against Him. The Bible says, () “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

While James might be describing something miraculous here, it’s also possible he’s describing something medicinal and soothing like the therapy Hospice Care might incorporate into their care to alleviate soreness and irritation. But again, James isn’t PREscribing something here for the Church in EVERY age), but simply DEScribing something (For miraculous healing James likely would’ve used a little different word and expression here in the Greek). But notice here where the emphasis lies: the “prayer of faith” makes the sick person well, and raises him up.

The New International Version. (2011). (). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

That’s the prayer that’s at the top of our list—a prayer of adoration and thanks to God for healing our sin-sick hearts! Notice how the Holy Spirit helps James put these two important thoughts together in these verses about “the prayer of faith” and the “prayer of the righteous person.” The only reason we can pray to God, asking Him anything in Jesus’ name and expect an answer from Him is because of the way His Son, Jesus Christ opened up the way to God in prayer by his shed-blood and righteousness!

We do evil when we sin. Prayer is speaking to God, but before we can presume that kind of privilege, He needs to speak to us with a word of forgiveness. The psalmist wrote, () “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” And so, “Confess your sins,” (v.16) James says, “so that you may be healed.”

That’s why we can pray. That’s why prayer works! That’s why our prayers acceptable to God and heard AND effective—yes—our prayers do things—Look at all the examples James gives of that in these verses: (vv.13-15) “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. v.14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. v.15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up… v.16 The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

In his grace God planned and carried out our salvation through his Son, Jesus. Even while were sinners, before we even were able to utter a syllable of confession to Him, Christ died for us. Jesus Christ opens the way up to God in prayer by his saving work on the cross. He heals us of our sin against Him and each other. Confessing our sins to God in prayer we find forgiveness and healing together, James says.

Does prayer change things? What else would you have to conclude from these verses?! Isn’t this privilege of prayer amazing?! C.S. Lewis said that in prayer God gives us the dignity of causality. God knows all things that will happen before they take place. (,) “I am God, and there is none like me,” he says, “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.” The psalmist said, () “Before a word is on my lips, O Lord, you know it completely.” () “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.”

Earlier in his book James gives this advice about prayer. (,) “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.” What a comforting thought—that when we’re searching for answers and looking to Him to give us insight and help when we’re struggling with things, that He’s the kind of “God, who gives generously to all without finding fault.” The People’s Bible on James offers this wonderful commentary on these verses: “When repentant sinners are forgiven by their loving Savior, they are really forgiven—God is no longer interested in accusing. The sin that once separated them has been nailed to the cross with Jesus and is gone. Gone! And so God’s forgiven children don’t have to feel stupid or guilty when they come to their Father for help, because he is interested in helping them, not in finding fault with them.”

Think about that and the way God lets believers like Abraham in the Old Testament, bend His will, so to speak, by our prayers. Of course, He’s already planned out all things in eternity for the sake of his Church, but He plans those things taking into account the things He knows we will pray here in time. Every time we put our hands together as a child of God—it’s like the Father letting us put our little hands on top of his big hands as he steers the world! He’s just waiting for us to ask Him in prayer.

“And don’t doubt,” says James, “because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” At times the things we see happening around us, and our feelings get the best of us, and cause us to doubt—circumstances around us fly up in our face and seem to contradict everything God promises us in His Word. The key then is continuing in God’s Word. As you pray, keep a Bible handy nearby. Then we will continue to pray confidently, trusting in Jesus and his Word.

God invites us to believe that God actually helps us to change things in our lives and the lives of others. It’s as though the Father invited us to put our little hands on top of his big hands as he steers the world. God wants us to know that he has many good things for us that he deliberately holds back, waiting for us to ask. James mentions Elijah, a mortal just like us, whose mighty prayer first switched off the rain for over three years and then switched it on again (, ).

That’s what James means when he mentions the (v.15) “prayer of faith” in our verses today. The prayer of the believer is the prayer made in faith, the prayer that’s instructed and informed by faith that trusts in Jesus and his Word. In fact James brings two important things together for us in these verses: 1.) “The prayer of faith” and 2.) the “prayer of the righteous person.” We say we pray in Jesus’ name because it’s His blood and righteousness, and not our own, that opens up the way for us to God in prayer.

Praying shows that a child of God actually believes that he or she has a personal relationship with the God who is here and who acts. Prayer is verbal confidence in the Lord’s promise not just to watch his children from a distance but to intervene in their lives upon their request, to make good things happen for them. Prayer is God’s gift to his people to help them see themselves not as helpless prisoners of fate but active participants in how God directs his world. The Savior guarantees access; the Father promises to listen, always; the Spirit promises to fill in the gaps and interpret.

What an amazing privilege! Now how does it work? James asks, (vv.13-15) “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. v.14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. v.15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up…v.16 The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

Notice how James puts two very important ideas together in these verses: "the prayer of faith” and the “prayer of a righteous person.” Politically-correct speech these days includes every religion under the sun in the phrase “people of faith,” whether it’s the Christian faith, or Jewish faith, or Hindus or Muslims. But the Bible clearly states there is only one name by which we must be saved—and by which we might prayer—and that is the saving name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Without faith in Jesus it’s impossible to please God. Without faith in Jesus no one can pray to God. () “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening.”

Does prayer change things? James says it does. James says prayer is VERY effective! Are you suffering? James says to pray. Are you cheerful? Speak to God with thanks and praise. Pray for each other. Pray with each other. James describes a situation in which caring elders in the early Christian church would pray over fellow members, anointing them with oil, and miracles occurred as a result of their prayers. God hasn’t promised miracles every time we pray, but don’t let that stop you for asking for one. James mentions Elijah, a mortal just like us, whose prayer switched off the rain for over three years and then switched it on again.

in our own words, that we make up, or by borrowing words from another, like we do when we use a prayer book or when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, or praying the psalms in the Bible.

Again, what an amazing thought—and that He lets our prayers influence Him, if you can imagine that! Just look at the way He let Abraham bend His will, so to speak, by his prayer on behalf of wicked Sodom and Gomorrah. C.S. Lewis once said that in prayer God gives us the dignity of causality. In other words, every time we pray it’s like the Father lets us put our little hands on top of his big hands as he steers the entire world! He’s just waiting for us to ask Him things in prayer.

Whose prayers are heard? If you’ll notice James gives a number of examples of situations where people pray. (vv.13-15) “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. v.14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. v.15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”

Keep that in mind as you pray next time. Know that he’s there and He’s listening and that He will act! You have his undivided attention and all his almighty strength at your disposal. One of God’s attributes is his immanence. Transcendent means he is above and beyond all things created. To be immanent means to be close at hand. Immanent means God he is with us, completely. He’s able to listen to the prayers and cries of each and every believer who calls on his name. That he is transcendent means that he’s above all things and therefore able to help. That’s He’s immanent means he right here for you, close to you, listening completely—and since you can’t take God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and divide Him into fractions—that means you get the undivided attention and focus of the Holy Trinity every time you pray to him—again—what an amazing privilege prayer is!

When the Church prays, the problem isn’t a shortage of reasons to pray. James gives us a number of scenarios here in which it’s natural to pray. When we’re sick we ask God’s help. It’s a different prayer when we want to thank and praise him for something. James mentions something here about anoint with oil that makes us a little curious (we’ll come back to that in a minute), but focus first here on what James says in v.15 when he speaks about the “prayer of faith.” He says, “the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick.”

In the midst of trials and troubles, know that He’s not only with you right there, listening as you pray, but as the Eternal One, He’s already standing with you in the solution He has planned and is carrying out for you as well!

James is pretty specific about how you should pray and about the kind of person who may expect prayer to be answered. So what’s “the prayer of faith?” In the next verse (v.16) James speaks about how “the prayer of a righteous person has great power.”

That Mayo Clinic study that showed no evidence for the effectiveness of prayer shouldn’t surprise us. We won’t receive anything if we don’t ask. “If any of you is in trouble?” James says, “He should pray!” The only prayers God won’t answer, of course, are the prayers He knows aren’t any good for us in the first place! So, when you pray, keep a Bible handy. Let God’s Word inform and instruct your hearts so that more and more they line up with His good and gracious will--and then get ready—because prayer works!! He’s our can-and-will-do God! We know God can answer our prayers because He’s the almighty King of the universe! And we know that he wants to answer our prayers because he’s proved his love to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. What an amazing privilege to have Him listening to us and promising o answer every time we pray!

In order to avoid lots of confusion, let’s put those two things together right away—"the prayer of faith” and the “righteous person.” By “person of faith” we’re not speaking in the politically-correct spirit of our times that label all religious people, “people of faith,” whether it’s the Christian faith, or the Jewish faith, or Hindu or Muslim faith. The Bible clearly states there is only one name given under heaven by which we must be saved, the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Without faith in Jesus it is impossible to please God. And so by prayer of faith here, James is referring to the prayer that flows from true faith in Jesus. He’s describing the prayer of the person who knows by faith that he’s righteous and holy in God’s sight through the blood of Jesus who opens the way to God in prayer for us by his cross and empty tomb!

Amen.

5 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. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

(,) When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

It is heartening to pray to a God who gives generously to all “without finding fault.” When repentant sinners are forgiven by their loving Savior, they are really forgiven—God is no longer interested in accusing. The sin that once separated them has been nailed to the cross with Jesus and is gone. Gone! And so God’s forgiven children don’t have to feel stupid or guilty when they come to their Father for help, because he is interested in helping them, not in finding fault with them.

“And don’t doubt,” says James. Christian prayer expresses full confidence in God’s unlimited love, God’s unlimited power, and God’s unlimited wisdom. According to James, if we doubt any of those aspects of God, we are double-minded, spiritually schizophrenic, unstable, and unlikely to receive anything at all from the Lord. Prayer is all about relationships—Christian prayer is a celebration of being children of our Father in heaven. If you’re going to pray for rain, bring along an umbrella.

The biggest challenge is praying confidently. saying “Amen”

Prayer. In some ways it’s one of the easiest things for a Christian to do. At the same time, we speak of struggling with God in prayer, turning things over and over in our mind as we pray, wondering if we’re asking for the right things, struggling to come up with the right words, worrying that we’re asking too much---or for the wrong things—or struggling as he makes us wait on his timetable instead of ours. We might even doubt that our prayers are heard and accepted in the first place, because of our sins that make us feel far away from Him at times. Sometimes people stay away from God so long that they even forget simply how to pray.

Prayer is always easy. Someone might even say, “Why pray in the first place?” Doesn’t God already know what he’s going to do anyway?! What difference does it even make then? Shouldn’t I be busy doing stuff instead of wasting time on prayer?” We can come up with all kinds of thoughts and doubts that make it a struggle to pray.