Well, good morning, church.
Turn with me in your Bibles, if you have a Bible, to the book of James.
We're looking at James chapter 5, verses 13 through 18.
This summer we've been going through this very practical book written by the brother
of Jesus himself, who was the leader of the early church in Jerusalem, and we're coming
to the end of it.
So let me read James chapter 5, verses 13 through 18 this morning.
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.
And 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.
Therefore, 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.
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.
Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
I'm just going to say up front, I was outside all day yesterday.
It was dusty, and I have allergies.
So, just to hopefully reassure you.
Moving on.
The sermon is about prayer.
Over the years, I've had several conversations with people who have come to Trinity from all
different parts of this country and all over the world.
And many people have shared with me about other churches that they've been part of in
other places and how God has ministered to them and helped them through other churches that
they've been part of in other places.
And many people, especially, I've noticed a pattern that many people, especially from other
parts of the world, have mentioned how important prayer is to their churches back home.
So, in Korea, many churches have early morning prayer at 5 or 6 a.m. every weekday.
That's a common thing.
Many people attend these daily early morning prayer meetings.
In Africa, many churches meet to pray and worship for hours on end, multiple times a week.
In this church, for several years, we've had a ministry to Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrants.
They worship in the Amharic language.
And they often, I would say, at least a few times a year, they set aside a day or even a whole week
where they encourage the whole church to fast and pray.
And when they do that, they usually set up prayer three times a day, morning, noon, and night.
They do it over a conference call because they live all over Connecticut.
But that's just a normal, a pretty regular thing that they do.
And sometimes, as I've been talking with our brothers and sisters in Christ who've come to Trinity
or come to the United States from other parts of the world, they'll ask me a question.
Now, almost nobody asked it directly.
But the question that they basically ask is,
do American Christians really feel like they need to pray?
Or why don't Christians here seem to value prayer that much?
And again, very few people say that directly,
but many people over the years have raised that concern with me in one form or another.
Now, we could say a few things.
I sometimes say that, you know, we can't completely measure our attitude toward prayer
by the number and length of organized prayer meetings each week
or even by the length of our own personal prayer time, right?
Jesus warned his disciples not to heap up empty words in prayer
or think that they'll be heard for their many words.
And at Trinity, we try not to over-program our life together,
even when we're not in the midst of a pandemic
and a lot of the things we normally do we can't do.
Or have to limit in other ways.
But we try not to over-program our church life, right?
We don't want people to feel like I have to be at church every single night of the week
for something or other.
We try to integrate prayer into the rest of the things that we do.
But even with all those caveats,
I think that our brothers and sisters in Christ
who have raised this question
and expressed this concern
are noticing a real problem,
a real issue.
For many of us, if we're honest,
prayer is not the engine that drives our spiritual lives.
Instead, it's more like an afterthought.
We sometimes get to it, sometimes don't.
We don't always feel much of a need to pray.
Some of us might say,
well, you know, I've tried to understand how prayer works.
I mean, if God knows everything in advance
and He sovereignly orders our lives,
then He's going to do what He's going to do anyway.
Like, why do I have to pray?
But here's the thing.
Even if we don't completely understand
all the mysteries of prayer,
there are all kinds of things that we use
and benefit from every day
that we don't mostly understand how they work.
Right?
Most of us, we go to the doctor
and the doctor prescribes some medications.
Okay, 10 to 20% of you out there
are in the health professional field.
You might understand it,
but the other 80, 90% of us don't.
At least, we don't really understand
how all the chemical reactions work.
Right?
In depth.
But we still take the medicine.
And most of us don't really fully understand
how our car engines work.
But we still get in cars
or ride buses
and benefit from them.
Right?
We use and benefit from all kinds of things
that we don't completely understand.
And so why not with prayer?
The passage we're looking at today
does not explain all the mysteries of prayer,
but it calls us to be people of prayer.
As we've said throughout this series,
the book of James was written to people
who are experiencing trials of various kinds.
And really one of the questions James is addressing is,
how do we not just survive,
but thrive spiritually through trials?
And James begins and ends
with two themes.
The themes of patience and prayer.
So beginning in chapter one,
one of the first things he says is,
let steadfastness finish its work
so that you may become mature and complete.
Patience.
Right?
Hanging in there.
Persevering.
And prayer.
At the beginning,
James says,
if any of you lacks wisdom,
let him ask God.
And again,
last week we looked at patience.
And patience doesn't just mean being passive
and not doing anything.
It means actively trusting
and waiting upon the Lord
and sowing to the future,
but waiting for God to do what only he can do.
And today we're looking at prayer.
Patience and prayer, of course, go together.
Right?
It's hard to sustain a life of patience
apart from prayer.
So what we'll see today
is the importance of prayer
for different people
facing different circumstances.
We'll see first,
in verse 13,
individual believers
praying through life's ups and downs.
Second,
verse 14 and 15,
we'll see the church elders
praying for those in special need.
Third,
verse 16,
we'll see fellow Christians
praying for one another
as we confess sins.
And four,
verse 17 and 18,
we'll see the power of prayer
in all circumstances.
So first,
individual believers
praying through life's ups and downs.
Is anyone among you suffering?
Let him pray.
Is anyone cheerful?
Let him sing praise.
The pronouns in this verse
are all singular.
Right?
So James is speaking
to every one of us individually.
And he uses two words
that cover the whole range
of human emotions.
Suffering,
which literally
could be translated
feeling bad.
Right?
Some of us might be feeling bad.
We're in pain
or we're afflicted
or troubled
or anxious.
And James says,
pray.
And the next word he uses
is cheerful.
Right?
It's a word that means
confident,
enthusiastic,
happy.
And James says,
if that's where you are,
sing praise.
Right?
Some of us pray
when we're suffering.
Right?
When we hit a crisis.
That's what really
drives us to pray.
God, help me.
I really need you.
But then once we're feeling better,
we get complacent
and we just,
our prayer life dwindles.
Others of us
might be the reverse.
Right?
Maybe you love to sing
praise songs.
Maybe you just
thank God every day
for your food
and the daily blessings
that he gives us.
But then when
life really goes bad,
maybe that's where
you struggle
to pray.
Right?
To be honest with God
in the seasons
of disappointment,
to talk with,
to submit to the Lord
when we
maybe don't
like how things
are shaking out
for us.
Right?
But whether we're
feeling bad
or feeling great,
our faith in God
is being tested.
In both situations,
the temptation
is to retreat
into ourselves
and our feelings.
Right?
Either retreating
into our bad feelings
and just sitting there
in our own cave.
Right?
Or to retreat
into our good feelings
and become very
self-satisfied
and self-focused
and all about
self-fulfillment
and that's all about
what our life
sort of revolves around.
But James says,
no, in both of these
circumstances,
in both of these feelings,
there's an invitation
from God
to bring our emotions
before him.
Prayer helps us,
one person said,
prayer helps us
to sanctify our pleasures
and consecrate
our pains.
And let me just say,
prayer doesn't come
completely naturally
to any of us.
Right?
All of us
are still learning
to pray.
And we'll all be
learning to pray
until the day
we see Jesus
face to face.
The one who
our prayers
are ultimately
directed towards.
But one of the best ways
to learn to pray
in all circumstances
is to spend time
in the biblical book
of Psalms.
Now the Psalms speak
out of all kinds
of outward circumstances
and inward emotions.
There are Psalms of Lament.
About a third of the Psalms
fall in this category.
The Psalmist is
crying out in agony,
troubled by uncertainty,
oppressed by enemies,
betrayed by friends.
And on the other hand,
there are Psalms of Praise
where the Psalmist is
filled with gratitude
and overcome with wonder
and dancing for joy.
And the Psalms help us
to put,
to verbalize
our prayers
and praises
in all the seasons
of life,
in all the seasons
of our soul.
Back in the 4th century,
the Egyptian church leader
Athanasius wrote
a treatise on the Psalms.
And it's a great,
it's not that long.
You can find it online
if you just look for
Athanasius on the Psalms.
And he wrote this.
This is part of what he wrote.
He said,
in the Psalter,
in the Psalms,
you learn about yourself.
You find depicted in it
all the movements
of your soul,
all its changes,
its ups and downs,
its failures and recoveries.
Moreover,
whatever your particular
need or trouble,
from this same book
you can select
a form of words
to fit it
so that you learn
the way to remedy
your ill.
He says,
you can take its words
upon your lips
as if they were your own.
You see,
the Psalms can teach us
how to pray
over the course
of our lives.
Some people have said
that the people
who appreciate the Psalms most
are elderly people
who have been through
a wide range
of life's experiences.
Because,
you know,
sometimes you'll read a Psalm
and you'll think,
boy,
the Psalmist is really angry here.
Or,
you'll read a Psalm
and think,
the Psalmist is so happy
and I'm not there.
Or,
he expresses this pure
trust in the Lord
and I'm struggling.
Right?
So,
but you see,
the Psalms are teaching us.
Teaching us to pray
over the course of our lives
and so,
many people who have been,
who have walked with the Lord
for a long time
and walked with the Psalms
for a long time
have come to treasure them
more and more
because they help us
put into words
our prayers
in all circumstances.
So,
that's the first thing.
Our individual prayers
help us remain steady
and seeking the Lord
through life's ups and downs.
Second theme,
verse 14 and 15,
James talks about
the elders' prayer
for those in special need.
Is anyone among you sick?
Let him call
for the elders
of the church.
Now,
James uses two different words
in verse 14
and verse 15,
both of which
are translated sick.
The word in verse 14
can be translated
either sick or weak.
So,
in other places
in the Bible,
the same word
refers to people
who were blind,
lame,
paralyzed,
frail,
needy,
or weakened by old age.
The word in verse 15
has a sense of being
weary and worn out.
So,
you know,
think about that
sort of
set of ideas,
right?
Being sick
or weak,
weary,
or worn out.
In this passage,
James seems to be
envisioning a situation
where someone is
pretty seriously
sick or weak,
right?
Possibly even bedridden,
right?
He doesn't say
go to the elders.
He says call for the elders.
In other words,
the elders are going to
come to you
because you can't
go to them,
right?
Perhaps someone's even
confined to bed,
right?
They can't leave their house
or the hospital.
And when somebody
is sick or weak,
weary or worn out,
whether it's physically,
emotionally,
or mentally,
or spiritually,
they can easily
become disconnected
from the Lord
and from the rest
of the church body.
And so,
James tells them
call upon the leaders
of the local church body
to come and pray
over them
so their connection
with the Lord
is not weakened,
but rather strengthened,
right?
Their trust in the Lord
can be not weakened,
but rather strengthened
through this trial.
And James says
the elders should pray
anointing the sick person
with oil
in the name of the Lord.
Now,
oil isn't magic.
The book of Acts
records some,
several instances
where people were healed
through prayer
and God's miraculous work
apart from any oil.
But oil was a symbolic act
of setting someone apart
for God's special attention
and care.
Throughout the scriptures,
oil is a symbol
of the Holy Spirit's
presence and power.
So,
the elders in anointing
someone with oil
are very powerfully
reminding them
that God's Holy Spirit
is with you
and upon you
and here with us
as we bring you
before the Lord.
Just like people would
bring people
before Jesus
like the four men
brought their paralyzed
friend to Jesus,
right?
And lowered him down
through the roof,
right?
That's what the elders
are doing in a situation
like this.
It's bringing the sick person
before the merciful Savior.
So, let me say to you,
right,
for those of you
who I can see here,
right,
you're all well enough
to come out to church,
right?
And many of you at home
are still able to,
you know,
go for a walk,
get outside of your house,
right?
But if you,
let me say,
you might become
seriously ill someday.
Weak, weary,
worn out.
Maybe it's an acute
and life-threatening illness.
Maybe it's a chronic condition
that just wears you down
over time.
And if,
especially if you find yourself
becoming more and more
disconnected
from the rest
of the church body
because of
your illness
or weakness,
do what this verse says.
Call for the elders
of the church.
We will come
and pray with you.
If we can't come right away,
we'll pray,
or, you know,
if we're prohibited
from coming
because the hospital
isn't allowing visitors
at the point,
we'll pray with you
over the phone
at the very least.
Right?
Some sicknesses
are so debilitating
that it becomes
hard to think
and hard to even
put a sentence
of prayer
into words.
Sometimes the mental fog
is completely overwhelming.
Right?
And you,
and it's,
and it,
it's hard to even
pray for yourself.
That's where you need
to ask others
to come
and pray
with and for
you.
So let me encourage
you to,
to,
to ask
for prayer.
Don't be too proud
to ask for prayer
when you really need it.
In verse 13,
verse 15,
sorry,
we see the result
of the elder's prayer.
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.
Now,
this verse
raises a few questions.
So let me address
three of them
before we go on.
First,
what is the prayer
of faith?
Some people say
that this is a special
kind of prayer
where God
on certain occasions
gives his people
a special kind
of faith
to confidently believe
that the sick person
will be physically healed
in response
to that prayer.
But you know,
that's not how
James describes
faith
in other places.
Whenever James
talks about faith,
he's not talking
about confidently
expecting a certain
outcome.
He's talking
about confidently
trusting the character
of God.
You see,
when we put our faith
in outcomes,
we may be disappointed.
We may become
very disillusioned.
But when we place
our faith
in the character
of God,
even when the outcome
may or may not
be what we want,
God is still there.
And he's still with us.
And he always is
who he always has been.
Now,
if you look back
at chapter 1,
verse 6,
James uses a similar phrase.
He says,
if you lack wisdom,
ask God in faith
with no doubting.
And we explained
that phrase back then
when we looked
at that passage.
But what James means
there is
ask in faith,
in trust,
trusting God's generosity
and goodness.
And with no doubting.
That means not wavering
in our loyalty to him.
We might feel
uncertainty, of course,
and worry at times.
But James says,
don't be double-minded.
Right?
Don't waver
in your loyalty
to the Lord.
But ask God,
trusting his generosity
and goodness.
So,
the prayer of faith here,
I think,
means trusting
that God will hear our prayer
and give us,
whether it's wisdom
or healing
or whatever it is
that he knows
we truly need.
So,
I think that's
the prayer of faith.
Second question,
what does it mean
that the sick person
will be saved
and raised up
by the Lord?
Now,
some people say
this is a promise
of physical healing
as long as we pray
in faith.
And then,
if we don't see
physical healing,
then maybe we didn't pray
with faith
or with the right kind of faith.
But again,
that's not what James says here.
At the end of chapter 4,
James has already reminded us
that our lives
and our circumstances
are in the Lord's hands.
He says,
we should say,
if it is the Lord's will,
we will live
and do this or that.
So,
our plans
and our prayers
are ultimately subject
to God's sovereign will.
And here,
in verse,
chapter 5,
verse 15,
James uses two verbs,
save and raise up,
that can mean
a whole range of things.
Sometimes,
those verses refer to
someone being physically healed
or made whole
or getting up out of bed.
But those verbs
can also have
a spiritual
and an eternal sense.
In fact,
James uses the word save
in four other places
in the book
and they all refer
to eternal salvation.
Right?
Someone being right
with God,
being rescued
by God forever.
So,
what does this mean?
The Lord will save
and raise up
the sick person.
I think
we need to let the Lord
in every circumstance
define
precisely how
and when
he chooses
to save
and to heal,
to raise up
and to renew
his sick
and weak
and weary
children
whom he dearly loves.
Right?
Sometimes,
God answers prayers
with physical healing
even immediately
and there are people
who can legitimately
testify to that
and we can pray boldly
for that.
We don't have to apologize
about praying
for physical healing.
But God also answers prayers
by giving emotional healing
or resilience
that we,
bringing us through
a hard situation
that we never thought
we could make it through
or restoring
broken relationships.
I've seen examples
where relationships
that had been broken
or estranged
for years
were reconciled
and strengthened
through someone's
physical illness
or giving renewed
spiritual insight
and vitality.
Right?
God sometimes answers
our prayers
in all kinds of ways
that aren't always
what we would expect
but any and all
of those
are reasons
to praise God.
This week we sent out
a written reflection
to the church email list
from Rick Schneider
who Matt prayed for
earlier in the service.
Rick has been at home
with ALS
for almost two years now.
So some of you
may know him
but some of you
may not know him
if you've come to the church
more recently especially.
And the elders of Trinity
have done exactly
what this passage says.
We've gone to his house,
we've anointed him with oil,
we've prayed over him,
we've actually done so
multiple times
and many others
have prayed for
and with him as well.
And the Lord so far
has not healed him of ALS
but the Lord has responded
to our prayers
and the prayers of many
for him.
Let me just share
an excerpt
from what Rick wrote
recently.
You can read the whole thing
if you got it
through the church email list
or ask us for it
if you didn't.
He wrote this
a couple weeks ago.
He said,
Recently I heard about
a major breakthrough
in ALS treatments.
I was encouraged to think
that maybe this would be
the way the Lord
might free me
from this pestilence.
But I also was surprised
to realize
that my own hope
did not seem to waver
or change
even after I discovered
that the treatment
probably wouldn't apply
to my own specific type
of ALS.
And then I realized
that this hope within me
that seems to have been produced
over this last year
has almost nothing to do
with the certainty
of my healing
whether that is here
or in eternity.
Instead I realized
that I am more and more
certain that God's love
will still be alive
in my heart tomorrow.
That is a new sort
of hope for me.
Much of my life
I've been amazed
at God's gracious
and loving work
in saving me
and giving me a wife
and family
and working some amazing
miracles in our ministry.
But I have always been
tempted to think
that someday
maybe that love
would grow cold.
My love would grow cold.
And now I realize
that my hope
is not in any
of these miraculous works
or in the history
of God's faithfulness
to me
but it really is
in the fact
that he will be
faithful tomorrow.
And in every tomorrow
after that
no matter what
comes along.
The prayer of faith
will save the one
who is sick
and the Lord
will raise him up.
And the end
of the verse says
if he's committed sins
he'll be forgiven.
Well that's the last question
I want to deal with
before we go on
to the next verse.
What's the connection
James is making
between sickness
and sin?
Now not every sickness
is a result of sin
that's why James says
if.
On the other hand
some sicknesses
are directly connected
to specific sins
otherwise James
wouldn't make this
comment at all.
And if our sinful
patterns have contributed
to our physical
illness or weakness
we shouldn't ignore
those sinful patterns.
We need to face them
and deal with them.
In fact sometimes
dealing with our
sinful habits
is even harder
than dealing
with the unpleasant
symptoms of a physical
illness.
But this verse
gives us a great
encouragement.
Even if our
physical illness
is completely
the result
of our foolish
choices
or ungodly
habits
we can come
boldly to Jesus
who is merciful
and mighty
to save.
His power
is sufficient
not only to heal
our broken bodies
but to forgive
our sins
and save
our souls.
See Jesus
didn't just come
to heal people
who get sick
through no fault
of their own.
He came to heal
and save
and show mercy
to guilty
sinners
like us.
And that
is good
news.
We can come
boldly
before him
and pray for
all these things.
And that leads us
to our third point.
Right?
We've seen individuals
praying through
life's ups and downs.
We've seen the elders
praying for those
in special need.
Third,
we see fellow
Christians praying
for each other
as we confess sins.
Confess your sins
to one another
and pray for one another
that you may be healed.
James is going
from specifically
focusing on the elders
praying for those
in special need
to generally focusing
on any Christian
praying for
any other Christian.
And not just
the sick person
who has sinned
can be forgiven
but any Christian
who has sinned
can be forgiven
through confession
and prayer.
So James' assumption
here is that
Christians will
sometimes sin.
Right?
And he's telling us
how to deal with it.
And the right way
to deal with sin
is by acknowledging
it for what it is
and receiving prayer
so that we are
freed from
its toxic influences.
Right?
Now what does this
look like practically?
James doesn't spell out
the details of what
this looks like
but from other
biblical passages
we can flesh this
out a bit.
So what might this
look like
if we have wronged
another Christian?
Right?
So example.
Chapter 1 James says
we should be quick
to listen,
slow to speak,
and slow to get angry.
Well, guess what?
Probably many of us
have fallen short
in one of those ways.
Right?
I can think of
we can all
probably all of us
can think of times
where we haven't
lived up to that.
Right?
We've said things
in haste
and in anger
that may not be
completely true
and certainly
weren't completely
helpful.
Now,
what do we do?
Well,
as Christians
we shouldn't just
pretend it never
happened
and go on
and just act
like I never
said it.
Nope.
And we
shouldn't
make excuses
for ourselves.
Right?
No.
The Christian way
is go to the person
that we have offended
and say,
I was wrong.
I'm sorry.
Will you forgive me?
That's a good way
to begin an apology
by the way.
I was wrong.
I'm sorry.
And don't add
the word but
after that.
Right?
You might need
to explain
exactly what you
are saying
that you're sorry
for.
So people know.
but maybe
if the person
responds well
especially
you might even
say,
can you pray
for me
because I
realize this
is an area
that I need
to grow in.
Now,
I just want you
to stop and
think about
how unusual
that kind of
conversation is
in the world
that we live in.
First of all,
to confess
wrongs
without minimizing
or making
excuses.
That's pretty
unusual.
And second,
for someone
who has been
wronged
to not only
forego
retaliation
but actively
pray
for that
person's
healing
and growth.
Extending
forgiveness
and blessing.
That's also
pretty unusual.
And you know,
both of those
things are
empowered
by the love
and transforming
power of
Jesus.
That we can
honestly
acknowledge
our faults
and shortcomings.
And that we
can graciously
pray
for someone,
even someone
who has
wronged us.
Especially when
they acknowledge
that and repent,
that we can pray
specifically with
them and for
them in that
way.
We can even
pray for someone
who hasn't yet
acknowledged it.
Sort of from,
that's more from
a distance,
right?
But that's a
testimony to
the love and
power of
Christ,
right?
Every one
of our sins
is a grievous
offense against
him,
but Jesus
doesn't only
forgive our
sins,
he blesses
us and
prays for
us and
intercedes
and advocates
for us and
seeks our
healing and
growth.
Now,
what about
secret sins?
Right?
Secret sins
in our thoughts,
in our hearts,
or private sins
that nobody
else knows
about?
Things like
jealousy,
self-pity,
lust,
greed.
What do we
do with those
things?
How does this
verse apply in
those situations?
Well,
it is not wise
or helpful to
confess all of
our secret sins
to a large group
of people,
all at once,
right?
Or to anyone
indiscriminately,
right?
That's not wise.
But if we are
struggling with
secret sins,
if there are
sins in our
thoughts and
our hearts that
we are repeatedly
falling into,
that have a
hold on us,
it is unwise to
keep that struggle
completely within
ourselves.
Because
it's going to
go one way or
the other.
And if those
sins are,
if we are not
putting those
sins to death
by the power of
God's word and
prayer and his
Holy Spirit,
they will fester
and grow within
us and one
day they will
explode.
And that will
be very ugly.
And there will
be a whole lot
of damage to
clean up.
Especially when
they've been
festering and
growing for
weeks,
months,
years,
without being
brought into
the light.
So find a
trusted brother
or sister in
Christ,
tell them what
sins you are
struggling with
or falling into
and ask them
to pray for
you in the
name of the
Lord.
Lord,
you know,
sometimes just
doing that
pops,
it's like
popping a
balloon.
It deflates
the power of
a secret sin
that has become
overwhelming.
Right?
And that's too
big for us to
deal with on
our own.
Sometimes simply
bringing that
into the light
in the presence
of a brother
or sister in
Christ who
can pray for
us and assure
us of the
truth of the
gospel,
God can work
powerfully
through that.
And if
someone comes
to you and
confesses a
sin that they
are struggling
with secretly,
let me coach
you a little
how to respond.
Don't just
say,
okay,
that's really
weird that you
shared that
with me.
Right?
Don't say
that.
No.
Right?
You're,
I mean,
reality is,
you might be
no different
from them.
Right?
You have
things you're
struggling with
too.
So,
but here's
what you can
do that is
helpful.
Remind them
of the
promises of
God.
1 John 1
9,
if we confess
our sins,
God is
faithful and
just to
forgive our
sins and
purify us
from all
unrighteousness.
That's a
good verse
to share
with someone
who confesses
a secret
sin that
they're struggling
with in their
thought life or
in their
hearts and
remind them
of that.
And maybe
you take a
time to pray
together.
Maybe the
person who
starts by
just confessing
their sin to
God while
you listen,
and then you
pray for them
and use the
words of that
scripture in
your prayer for
them.
Even read that
scripture and
pray that they
would be assured
of God's
forgiveness and
that they would
know his
purifying power
prayer on an
ongoing basis.
God can do
wonderful things
as we pray for
one another in
these kinds of
ways.
So, we've seen
individual Christians
praying through
lives up and
downs.
We've seen the
elders praying for
those in special
need.
We've seen fellow
Christians praying
for each other as
we confess our
sins.
And finally,
James concludes
verse 16 through
8 or 17 and
18, a reminder
of the power of
prayer in all
circumstances.
The prayer of a
righteous person
has great power
as it is working.
It's one of the
means through which
God's power is
displayed in our
lives and in the
world.
And James urges us,
don't neglect
prayer, but exercise
it.
Right?
The prayer, make
prayer a personal
habit, whether we're
feeling bad or
feeling great, call
upon the elders if
we have a special
need, pray for one
another that we,
that God, we would
not be led into
temptation but
delivered from evil.
And James concludes
with the example of
Elijah.
Now, many of us
think of Elijah and
we think of him as
a larger-than-life
figure.
Right?
He did great
miracles.
He even got taken
up to heaven in the
chariot of fire.
That's pretty amazing.
But James doesn't
emphasize his heroic
exploits.
James says he was a
human being with a
nature just like ours.
You know, if you read
the story of Elijah at
the end of 1 Kings, you
will see he boldly
declared the truth to
hostile audiences.
He was resilient
through trying
circumstances.
He was an example to
other godly people of
his time.
And God did powerful
things through him.
But he also got angry
and depressed and
afraid.
One day he ran into
the desert and he went
into a cave and he
said, God, I want to
die.
I'm done.
Take me.
No more.
God said, go to sleep.
God sent an angel to
cook him a meal.
God said, eat and
sleep.
Sometimes that's what
you need to do to
recover from certain
things.
It's a means of grace,
right?
And then Elijah keeps
traveling, but he's not
totally in a right head
space yet.
The next thing he says
is, I'm the only one
left, Lord.
I'm the only righteous
person left in the whole
world.
Everyone's against me.
Everyone's abandoned me.
You know, even your own
people have left me in the
dust.
Now, that wasn't true.
God said, uh-uh-uh.
There's like 400 people
who are still faithful and
still trusting me and
they're hiding out too,
but I've got plenty of
others.
Right?
Elijah was dealing with
self-pity.
Right?
I'm the only one left.
Right?
Here's the point.
Like the rest of us,
Elijah struggled with
anger and fear and
self-righteousness and
self-pity.
But through his trials
and despite his flaws,
he prayed.
And James reminds us of
a particular season in
Elijah's life when the
nation of Israel had
fallen into great
wickedness.
In fact, it says that
the king at that time
was the most wicked
king that there ever
had been in Israel.
Worse than all of the
rest.
The whole nation was
worshiping idols and
all kinds of things
were way out of whack.
People were, all kinds
of people were being
mistreated.
God's name was not
being honored.
Elijah prayed that God
would withhold the
rain from the land to
lead the king and the
people to repentance and
to acknowledge the one
true God.
And God answered his
prayer.
And then after a season
of judgment, Elijah
prayed that God would
pour out his mercy once
again and restore the
land to fruitfulness.
And God answered his
prayer.
You see, Elijah wasn't,
Elijah had a big problem
on his hands.
He wasn't just praying
for his own ups and
downs in life.
He wasn't just praying
for one other person in
special need.
He wasn't just praying
for some other Christians
or some other people in
his fellowship or church.
He was dealing with a
national disaster.
And God heard his prayer.
Even for a huge problem,
God hears and answers our
prayer.
Whatever the circumstances
we are facing, whatever
the circumstances the world
is in around us, he hears
our prayer not because we're
flawless, not because we're
experts in prayer, but
because Jesus has made a way
for us.
Right?
The prayer of a righteous
person is powerful and
effective.
What does it mean to be
righteous?
It means that we have been
made right with God through
the work of Jesus Christ.
And that we can come before
God through him with freedom
and confidence.
And through him we can
experience his power through
prayer.
So let's pray.
Father, thank you for this
exhortation and this invitation
to prayer.
In all circumstances, on our
own, with one another, we pray
that prayer would come to
pervade our lives more and
more.
Teach us, Lord, to pray in
every season of our lives.
Teach us to pray for one
another and with one another.
Teach us to pray for our
nation and our world.
Thank you that you are a
gracious and merciful God who
hears and answers prayer.
We pray these things in Jesus'
name.
Amen.