Real Prayer

Real Prayer

Today, we are finishing our series A Search for what is real. We have been looking at what a real faith, a real spirituality looks like.

The gift of speech is a marvelous blessing, if it is used to the glory of God. It is interesting that the book of James is about how to be a Godly person and yet so much text is devoted to speech! 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 mentions 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. [1]

Pray for the Suffering

(James 5:13)

James 5:13 (ESV)

James 5:13 ESV

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.

13Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.

As we saw earlier in this chapter, we all must face trials and temptations. Trials are from the Lord to strengthen us and temptations are from Satan to destroy us. Both of these can cause suffering.

It is important, when facing suffering, that we do not grumble and complain. The solution is prayer. Job is an excellent example of this. No one has suffered like Job did, yet he prayed and remained faithful to the Lord and was blessed.

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Are you suffering this morning? Are you in trouble? The Lord is most likely trying to expand your faith. Stop bucking, and complaining, and griping, and run to Him in prayer. Wear holes in the knees of your jeans if you have to. Ask the Lord to show you the areas of your life you need to grow in and the strength to mature.

It is so easy to see someone going through a hard time and to judge isn’t it? You see someone going through a difficulty. Sometimes it is of their own doing and sometimes it isn’t, but that doesn’t matter. We judge. A better solution is pray. Our job, if we are to be mature Christians, is to pray for folks. Pray that God would ease the suffering and that he would be able to teach them and grow them in Him.

No matter your situation, If you are in trouble or if you are happier than you have ever been, Pray!

Pray for the Sick

(James 5:14–16)

James 5:14–16 (ESV)

14Is 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.

15And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

16Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

The misinterpretation of these verses have caused a lot of confusion and strife in the church over the years. To add to that, they are very difficult to interpret! But remember, everything in the Word of God is true and we are able to interpret it, but we must first use the Word of God to interpret itself, and plain ole common sense too!

The person is sick because of sin (vv. 15b-16).

This healing refers to someone who is sick because of their sin. Not all sickness is caused by sin. Sometimes people get cancer as a trial. Sometimes you get a cold just because!

1 Corinthians 11:30 (ESV)

1 Corinthians 11:30 ESV

30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.

30That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.

Sometimes, God will get our attention, tell us that we are not walking right with him, by making us ill.

If that is the case, James is telling us to call the leaders of the church. Have them anoint you with oil. Oil is a symbol of holiness. It was used to set things apart, like the tabernacle in the Old Testament. Before this anointed could take place, something had to happen.

The person confesses his sins (v. 16).

The prayer of a righteous man is effective. So many people complain that their prayers are never answered. Yet so many people never confess and repent of their sins to the Lord. Why would the Lord heal, why would he answer if a person is living in sin and the sickness was sent to reveal that sin to them? There can be no healing without the turning away from sin. Confession must be a part of prayer. Most of us skip this step and go straight to the asking part. If we cannot seriously look at ourselves, be honest with ourselves and with God, then our prayers never make up past the ceiling.

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

Finally, it is faith that heals. I believe that this is the verse that is the most confusing. Some have made it mean that if you have enough faith then God will heal you of anything. If you are still sick then you just don’t have enough faith, strain your faith muscles harder! But if you look at the verse in context to the rest of the passage it is easy to see that it means something else entirely.

1 John 5:14–15 (ESV)

1 John 5:14–15 ESV

14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

14And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

15And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

The “prayer of faith” is a prayer offered when you know the will of God.The elders would seek the mind of God in the matter, and then pray according to His will. [2]

Pray for the Nation

(James 5:17–18)

James 5:17–18 (ESV)

James 5:17–18 ESV

17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

17Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.

18Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its 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”[3]

We are to be a people who prays for our nation as Elijah did. Elijah is one of my favorite Bible characters. He was just a normal person that listened to and obeyed the Lord. The Lord told him to pray that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t. The Lord told him to pray for rain and prayed and it rained! Just a normal person like you and me. And God answered his prayers.

We need to pray for our nation too. We know God’s will for our nation. We know that it is his will that our nation to stop killing unborn babies. We must pray. We have seen partial answer to the prayer in the over turning of Roe Vs Wade. We must keep praying that Prop 5 will be voted down this November in the state of Vermont.

We know that it is God’s will for our politicians to live upright lives. We must pray. “Prayer,” said Robert Law, “is not getting man’s will done in heaven. It’s getting God’s will done on earth.” [4]

There are several things that we can see from Elijah’s prayers. He was determined, earnest and persistent.

The literal Greek reads “and he prayed in prayer.” Many people do not pray in their prayers. They just lazily say religious words, and their hearts are not in their prayers.

A church member was “praying around the world” in a prayer meeting, and one of the men present was growing tired of the speech. Finally the man cried out, “Ask Him something!” That is what prayer is all about: “Ask Him something!” [5]

Pray for the Straying

(James 5:19–20)

James 5:19–20 (ESV)

James 5:19–20 ESV

19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

19My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,

20let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

The word prayer is not used in these verses, but I think it is implied. If a brother or sister has strayed from the body, we have a responsibility to make every effort to bring them back. We certainly cannot to do this without prayer.

The person that these verses are talking about is a backslidden person. Someone who has been slowly moving away from the things of the Lord and sliding back into their old ways, the ways of the world. I am sure that we all know of at least one person like that. We are supposed to first and foremost pray for that person. Then we are to make every effort to bring them back. Back to church? Well maybe, but before that, we are to bring them back to the truth. We are to make the effort to turn them from their error, that will save them from themselves and possibly even death!

Well that about does it for this topic of prayer in the last verses of the book of James. Remember I do not think it was an accident that James closed this letter on spiritual maturity with the topic of prayer. If you want what is real, if you want a real relationship with God, then you must master this art of prayer. Remember to pray for the Suffering, the Sick, your Nation, and for the Straying.

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!

[1]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, "An Exposition of the New Testament Comprising the Entire 'BE' Series"--Jkt. (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996, c1989), Jas 5:13. [2]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, "An Exposition of the New Testament Comprising the Entire 'BE' Series"--Jkt. (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996, c1989), Jas 5:14. [3]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, "An Exposition of the New Testament Comprising the Entire 'BE' Series"--Jkt. (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996, c1989), Jas 5:17. [4]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, "An Exposition of the New Testament Comprising the Entire 'BE' Series"--Jkt. (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996, c1989), Jas 5:17. [5]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, "An Exposition of the New Testament Comprising the Entire 'BE' Series"--Jkt. (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996, c1989), Jas 5:17.