James 5. Prayer

LET US PRAY

The gift of speech is a marvelous blessing, if it is used to the glory of God. As we have seen, James had a great deal to say about the tongue; and this chapter is no exception.

He mentioned some of the lowest uses of the tongue: complaining (James 5:9) and swearing (James 5:12).

But he also named some of the highest uses of the tongue: proclaiming God’s Word (James 5:10) and praying and praising God (James 5:13).

Prayer is certainly a high and holy privilege.

To think that, as God’s children, we can come freely and boldly to His throne and share with Him our needs!

Seven times in this section James mentioned prayer.

The mature Christian is prayerful in the troubles of life.

Instead of complaining about his situation, he talks to God about it; and God hears and answers his prayers.

“Taking it to the Lord in prayer” is certainly a mark of spiritual maturity.

In this section, James encourages us to pray by describing four situations in which God answers prayer.

Prayer for the Suffering

James 5:13 AV

13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.

The word afflicted means “suffering in difficult circumstances.”

As God’s people go through life, they often must endure difficulties that are not the results of sin or the chastening of God.

What should we do when we find ourselves in such trying circumstances?

We must not grumble and criticize the saints who are having an easier time of it (James 5:9); nor should we blame the Lord.

We should pray, asking God for the wisdom we need to understand the situation and use it to His glory (James 1:5).

Prayer can remove affliction, if that is God’s will.

But prayer can also give us the grace we need to endure troubles and use them to accomplish God’s perfect will.

God can transform troubles into triumphs.

“He giveth more grace” (James 4:6).

Paul prayed that God might change his circumstances, but instead, God gave Paul the grace he needed to turn his weakness into strength (2 Cor. 12:7–10).

Our Lord prayed in Gethsemane that the cup might be removed, and it was not; yet the Father gave Him the strength He needed to go to the cross and die for our sins.

James indicated that everybody does not go through troubles at the same time:

“Is any merry? Let him sing psalms” (James 5:13).

God balances our lives and gives us hours of suffering and days of singing.

The mature Christian knows how to sing while he is suffering.

God is able to give “songs in the night” (Job 35:10).

He did this for Paul and Silas when they were suffering in that Philippian jail

Acts 16:25 AV

25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

Prayer for the Sick

James 5:14–16 AV

14 Is any sick among you? 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 shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

I do not think that James gave us a blanket formula for healing the sick. In the churches I have pastored, the elders and I have prayed for the sick, and sometimes God has given healing. But other times, He has not seen fit to heal the person. I recall two cases within one week of each other: the one lady was restored in an almost miraculous way, but the other one had to enter the hospital for surgery, and eventually the Lord called her home.

The person is healed by “the prayer of faith” (v. 15).

But what is “the prayer of faith” that heals the sick?

The answer is in

1 John 5:14–15 AV

14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

The “prayer of faith” is a prayer offered when you know the will of God.

As I visit the sick among my congregation, I do not always know how to pray for them. (Paul had the same problem; read Rom. 8:26.)

Is it God’s will to heal? Is God planning to call His child home? I do not know; therefore, I must pray, “If it is Your will, heal Your child.”

Those who claim that God heals every case, and that it is not His will for His children to be sick, are denying both Scripture and experience.

But where we have the inner conviction from the Word and the Spirit that it is God’s will to heal, then we can pray “the prayer of faith” and expect God to work.

Prayer for the Nation

James 5:17–18 AV

17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

James cited Elijah as an example of a “righteous man” whose prayers released power. “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16, niv).

The background of this incident is found in 1 Kings 17–18.

Wicked King Ahab and Jezebel, his queen, had led Israel away from the Lord and into the worship of Baal. God punished the nation by holding back the rain that they needed (see Deut. 28:12, 23). For three and one half years, the heavens were as brass and the earth unable to produce the crops so necessary for life.

Then Elijah challenged the priests of Baal on Mt. Carmel. All day long the priests cried out to their god, but no answer came. At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah repaired the altar and prepared the sacrifice. He prayed but once, and fire came from heaven to consume the sacrifice. He had proven that Jehovah was the true God.

But the nation still needed rain. Elijah went to the top of Carmel and fell down before the Lord in prayer. He prayed and sent his servant seven times to see if there was evidence of rain; and the seventh time his servant saw a little cloud. Before long, there was a great rain, and the nation was saved.

Do we need “showers of blessing” today? We certainly do!

“But Elijah was a special prophet of God,” we might argue. “We can expect God to answer his prayers in a wonderful way.”

“Elijah was a man just like us,” stated James (5:17, niv).

He was not perfect; in fact, right after his victory on Mt. Carmel, Elijah became afraid and discouraged and ran away.

But he was a “righteous man,” that is, obedient to the Lord and trusting Him.

God’s promises of answered prayer are for all His children, not just for ones we may call the spiritual elite.

Elijah prayed in faith, for God told him He would send the rain (1 Kings 18:1). “Prayer,” said Robert Law, “is not getting man’s will done in heaven. It’s getting God’s will done on earth.”

You cannot separate the Word of God and prayer, for in His Word He gives us the promises that we claim when we pray.

Prayer power is the greatest power in the world today. “Tremendous power is made available through a good man’s earnest prayer” (James 5:16, ph). History shows how mankind has progressed from manpower to horsepower, and then to dynamite and TNT, and now to atomic power.

But greater than atomic power is prayer power.

Elijah prayed for his nation, and God answered prayer.

We need to pray for our nation today, that God will bring conviction and revival, and that “showers of blessing” will come to the land.

One of the first responsibilities of the local church is to pray for government leaders

1 Timothy 2:1–3 AV

1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

Prayer for the Straying

James 5:19–20 AV

19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

While James did not specifically name prayer in these verses, the implication is there.

If we pray for the afflicted and the sick, surely we must pray for the brother who wanders from the truth.

These verses deal with our ministry to a fellow believer who strays from the truth and gets into sin.

The verb err means “to wander,” and suggests a gradual moving away from the will of God.

The Old Testament term for this is “backsliding.”

Such a condition is, of course, very dangerous.

It is dangerous to the offender because he may be disciplined by the Lord (Heb. 12).

But this backsliding is also dangerous to the church. A wandering offender can influence others and lead them astray.

“One sinner destroys much good” (Ecc. 9:18, nasb).

This is why the spiritual members of the church must step in and help the man who has wandered away.

The origin of this problem is found in the statement “wander from the truth” (James 5:19).

The truth means, of course, the Word of God.

John 17:17 AV

17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Unless the believer stays close to the truth, he will start to drift away.

Hebrews 2:1 AV

1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

It is important that we seek to win the lost, but it is also important to win the saved.

If a brother has sinned against us, we should talk to him privately and seek to settle the matter.

If he listens, then we have gained our brother (Matt. 18:15).

If we are going to help an erring brother, we must have an attitude of love, for “love shall cover the multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).

conclusion

This brings us to the end of our study of James.

His emphasis has been spiritual maturity.

This would be a good time for us to examine our own hearts to see how mature we really are. Here are a few questions to assist you:

1. Am I becoming more and more patient in the testings of life?

2. Do I play with temptation or resist it from the start?

3. Do I find joy in obeying the Word of God, or do I merely study it and learn it?

4. Are there any prejudices that shackle me?

5. Am I able to control my tongue?

6. Am I a peacemaker rather than a troublemaker? Do people come to me for spiritual wisdom?

7. Am I a friend of God or a friend of the world?

8. Do I make plans without considering the will of God?

9. Am I selfish when it comes to money? Am I unfaithful in the paying of my bills?

10. Do I naturally depend on prayer when I find myself in some kind of trouble?

11. Am I the kind of person others seek for prayer support?

12. What is my attitude toward the wandering brother? Do I criticize and gossip, or do I seek to restore him in love?

Don’t just grow old—grow up!