"The Power of Prayer"

Scripture: James 5:13-20

Prayer – we all know what prayer is all about, and what it can accomplish, but how often do we use it? I mean really use it? How often do we lay our souls bare at the feet of Jesus? How often do we come to him with our deepest hurts, and our greatest joys, and every need that comes into our life?
It’s true that the Lord knows everything about us before we ever utter a word or raise up a thought, but that doesn’t mean that he will always care for them just because he knows! We’ve talked about the concept of “free will” before, and it is a far deeper issue than simply God’s granting us the right to make choices. It means that the Lord loves us so much that he never intrudes in our lives if we don’t want him to; he will never work his ways within us if we don’t ask him to! He may nudge us into asking, but he will always wait until we are ready to hear his call for our lives.
Prayer can and will be a powerful experience for us whenever we actively and intentionally seek the Lord’s involvement in our lives.

Read James 5:13-16

Let’s consider each of these calls for prayer, and what they involve.

First, if you are in trouble, pray. (v. 16a) Now this doesn’t mean that God has brought trouble into your life, and that you are asking him to reverse his decision! Over and over, we read that God gives us “good things” in this life (Matthew 7:7-11; Hebrews 9:11-14), and the Lord does not bring calamity to us. Trouble comes through human acts, but it is God who sees us through these times. Sometimes he takes our burden away, sometimes he grants us comfort and peace and courage to see us through a situation, sometimes the issue is softened so that we can endure it, and sometimes he even sends another person to help us in that troubling time.
Regardless, God can always be our help in times of trial, but it usually only comes when we ask him for it! When we have our healing services, you come with all kinds of requests, and when we pray about it together, the Lord hears, and the Lord considers, and acts upon, each and every request – in his way and in his time.

Next, James tells us that when we are happy, we should also pray. (v. 16b) But if everything is going very well, why should we pray? In this instance, it isn’t a time for prayers of petition – it’s the time for prayers of praise. James even tells us to “sing songs of praise”! In Acts 16:16-34 (25-26), we read that Paul and Silas have been imprisoned, and at midnight, they are praying and rejoicing over the Lord’s goodness with singing! And as they continue their singing, all of the doors of the cells fly open and the chains that are holding all of the prisoners fall away. All because of the praise and joy that these two men had in the Lord! Never mind where they were at the time, their joy had no bounds, and it just had to be expressed.
That is praise to the utmost!

Third, when you are sick, call for other faithful people to come to you and pray for you. (v. 17-15a) This is one of those times when solitary prayer isn’t enough, usually because the one who has been afflicted is unable to pray sufficiently for themselves. Whenever there is illness, whenever there has been injury, that is the time for the “priesthood of believers” (1 Peter 2:9-10) to spring into action. And yes, that is the call to each and every follower of Jesus Christ!
James calls us to “pray over” them, and to “anoint them with oil” in the name of the Lord. We lay hands on the person, we put oil on their head or hands, and we pray for the individual, we pray for their situation or condition, and we pray for any others who might be involved. These prayers aren’t of the 30 second version – they are substantial - and nearly all the time, everyone who is present and laying their hands on the person will take turns at praying. And this is done in situations other than illness.
And I have seen these prayers answered in both dramatic ways as well as in more subtle ways.

Fourth, when we have sinned, pray for forgiveness. (v. 15b-16) Isn’t it interesting that James uses the word “healing” in the context of forgiveness? As so it is. It is healing for the soul. And once more, we are called to include others in both our confession and in our prayer.
So what is there in confession and prayer for forgiveness? When we actually name our burdens, when we name our joys, when we name our illness and injuries, when we name our sin, we are acknowledging our human condition and our human weaknesses. This comes back to the Lord’s wanting us to know what we are asking for, to fully understand what we want the Lord to do for us, and to admit that we truly believe that he can and wants to do something about it.
And in the situation of our sin, whether we confess it out loud or silently, whether we confess it in detail or in a general way - in our hearts we are admitting to what we have done, and acknowledging that we know that it goes against the Lord’s desires for our lives.

The prayers of the faithful have power in them and through them.

Read James 5:17-18

James reminds us of an event in the Old Testament that demonstrates the power of prayer. In 1 Kings 17:1-18:46, we read of far more than just the issue of drought and rain – it involves the providing of food during those 3 ½ years of no crops, it includes the raising of a boy from death, it includes the defeat of 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah, as well as the restoration of the rain clouds over Samaria.
These two chapters are an incredible witness to the power of prayer, and all because the man Elijah was willing to give his all to the Lord. But also note that James says that Elijah “was a man just like us”! He was not God, he was not some holy and infallible being who stood head and shoulders above the rest of us. He was mortal, he was a human being, he had trials, he had doubts, but he also had faith in the Lord God Jehovah that was true and unfailing.

The New Interpreters Bible tells us that “The prayer of the community that gathers in solidarity to support its sick and, by confessing sins to one another, also strengthens its spiritual weakness”. There is strength in numbers! Prayer is our opportunity to converse directly with Almighty God, to increase and strengthen our faith, and to address our human failings with the only One who can really do something about them.

Read James 5:19-20

These final verses call the Church to accountable living. We are to encourage each other in life, to call each other out when we have deviated from the Lord’s way, to help each other in ministry and mission, to pray for each other, and to worship and fellowship with each other. It isn’t about judgment or condemnation – it is about keeping each other on track, all through the power of prayer and our Christian action.

Our daily prayers are of vital importance in lifting others up who are struggling in their human needs, as well as those who are bogged down in spiritual warfare. We need to be intentional in both personal prayer and corporate prayer; in silent prayer, and when we use words; at scheduled times, and spontaneously at any given moment and for any given need; in seeking divine assistance, and offering praise for the Lord’s goodness; when we are out in the world, and when we are Christian community.

Prayer is our connection to the Lord, and in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, our call to prayer in unmistakable – “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Prayer is God’s will for each of us. He’s waiting patiently to hear from us, so use the opportunity, and use it with Godly wisdom.